Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai warned Sunday against a “torpedoing” or a “postponement” of the May 15 legislative elections, due to the judicial measures taken against the governor of the Banque du Liban Riad Salameh, his entourage and several banks, and called for an end to the “biased, electoral and political judiciary,” as well as to the “attacks on the banks.”
This warning is seen by observers as aimed at Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Ghada Aoun, who is reputed to be close to the camp of President Michel Aoun, and the party he founded, the Free Patriotic Movement, which is led by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil. Critics of the magistrate and the president say that this camp wants to restore its image before the legislative elections by aligning itself with the cause of depositors who are campaigning to gain access to their accounts which have been subject to informal capital controls for over two years. Others even see it as an escalation aimed at postponing elections in view of the FPM’s perceived decline in popularity.
‘Biased judiciary’
“Where are the judges who are supposed to protect the judiciary?” the prelate asked in his Sunday homily, lamenting the “sad state” of the judiciary.
“Is the objective of these firm measures to torpedo the legislative elections or to prevent them from being held on the scheduled dates?” he asked.
Rai again insisted that the polls should take place on May 15, and called on the next president of the republic (President Aoun's term ends in October), to “remove Lebanon from the axes,” assuring that the country “belongs to no one,” in an allusion to the pro-Iranian policy of Hezbollah, an ally of the FPM camp.
“Is it not time for the night of the biased, electoral and political judiciary to end?,” the head of the Maronite Church continued, also calling for “the suspension of the investigation into the deadly explosions at the port of Beirut to end.”
The investigation has been blocked for months by several appeals against Judge Tarek Bitar, who is in charge of the case.
“Shouldn’t the disrespect of the state end? And the attacks on essential institutions and banks too?” he added, denouncing the fact that those in charge “continue to oppress the people, to prevent them from expressing themselves, from complaining and from proclaiming their opposition.”
The prelate also criticized the inaction of officials and the persistence of the crises that have affected the country for more than two years.
“Is it not time that the night of crises, hostilities and sedition ends?” he pleaded, denouncing “the lack of border control and security” in the country.
The article was originally published in French in L’Orient-Le Jour.
