Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel inspected Monday acts of rehabilitation in Roumieh prison where he announced the readiness of the courtroom inside the prison to receive the prisoners instead of taking them to the Justice Pal

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel inspected Monday acts of rehabilitation in Roumieh prison where he announced the readiness of the courtroom inside the prison to receive the prisoners instead of taking them to the Justice Palace.

Charbel, who was inspecting the controversial prison along with Acting Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous and other police officers, said the Higher Judicial Council should inspect Roumieh prison's courtroom, which he said was ready to start the trial of inmates. “I urge the HJC and specifically the caretaker Justice Minister (Shakib Qortbawi) to start the trials in the prison rather than taking the inmates to the Justice Palace,” Charbel said during a press conference.

The courtroom “saves us the effort to transport the prisoners and provide security protection,” he said. “It also speeds up the trials of not just the Islamists but all the inmates.”

Charbel warned that if the authorities failed to use the trial room, then he would turn it into a prison cell.

The caretaker minister lamented that the government had paid millions to rehabilitate the prison and that no major change was made. “We won't pay an additional lira before the first building is fixed,” he said.