The appellate prosecutor, Judge Ziad Abu Haidar, has issued a ruling against Ibrahim Ghazal for the crime of intentional murder of the victim, Zina Kanjou, which could result in a death penalty.
The National News Agency reported this evening that the legal representative of the victim's family, attorney Ashraf Al-Moussawi, stated that the appellate prosecutor in Beirut, Judge Ziad Abu Haidar, charged the victim's husband Ibrahim Ghazal under Article 549 of the Penal Code (intentional murder), which carries a penalty of death. The agency added that Judge Abu Haidar referred the case to Acting Investigating Judge Charbel Abu Samra in Beirut in preparation for issuing an absentee arrest warrant, followed by an international Interpol request.
The crime of the Lebanese young woman Zina Kanjou occurred shortly after midnight last Saturday in the Saqiyat al-Janzir area in downtown Beirut, where Zina was strangled to death. At the time of the crime discovery, her husband had disappeared. Attorney Ashraf Al-Moussawi confirmed that the victim's husband (I.G.) left Lebanese territory for Istanbul, two hours after the murder, boarding Middle East Airlines.
Moussawi revealed his intent to file a request with the Public Prosecutor for extradition from Turkish authorities under an Interpol warrant to arrest the victim's husband and hand him over to Lebanese authorities based on existing extradition agreements between the two countries. He clarified that the husband had previously left Lebanese territory on January 20 for Istanbul, returning on January 28, having booked tickets for travel to and from Istanbul, indicating he had prepared to execute the crime and planned his escape in advance.
Moussawi also mentioned that the suspect fled to Beirut Airport around 5 a.m., with his flight to Istanbul departing at 8:30 a.m. the following Sunday. He revealed that the suspect contacted a friend in Lebanon from a Turkish number, requesting him to report the murder while providing the address of the residence.
Security sources confirmed that the victim had previously filed a complaint with the Internal Security Forces against her husband for violence, theft of her Camaro car, and selling it for 20 million Lebanese pounds, a significantly low amount compared to its price, in addition to jewelry and other possessions. This was corroborated by the victim's father, Mohammed Kanjou, who stated that his daughter had suffered from abuse in the marriage, which lasted less than ten months, during which several problems arose, ultimately leading Zina to seek the protection of the security forces to regain her stolen rights and belongings.
The father of Zina asserted that his daughter's murder was a result of her discovering her husband's dubious business activities, coupled with fear of being exposed. After she filed a complaint against him and cornered him, he committed the crime with a premeditated escape plan, urging the Lebanese state to follow up on the case to arrest him in Turkey and return him for execution in Lebanon.
The father indicated that the husband lured Zina under the pretense of "settling issues" and met with her late Saturday, where he also contacted her family after midnight. According to security sources familiar with the investigations, the suspect stole the victim's phone, identity documents, and additional belongings before leaving, later using her Facebook account from Turkey.
Sources revealed that the suspect had a criminal record, having been detained by the Roucheh police station about six months ago for allegedly shooting at neighbors. At that time, Zina intervened and paid victims and the public right to secure his release.
It is noteworthy that a voice recording of a phone call between the victim's sister and the husband circulated after the crime, in which the suspect attempted to justify his actions by implying it was an honor crime, while at other times claiming that he accidentally strangled her during a quarrel. In the recording, the suspect tells the victim's sister, "Do you think I would kill her? I will say it for the first and last time, and even in the investigation, I won't mention it. What could I do when I entered and found my wife with another man?"
He added, "I didn't want her to die, but she started screaming early in the morning, and I covered her mouth to silence her. May God not forgive whoever was responsible. While she died at my hands, many others contributed to her death."
The victim's father considered this recording to ultimately be an admission of guilt and proof that he is the murderer, noting that the content of this recording is inconsequential and merely serves as claims and lies to justify the heinous crime he committed.
