Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai said on Sunday that “the judicial power in Lebanon is politicized and sectarian,” contending that investigations into illicit enrichment and financial wrongdoing should extend beyond the governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh. Rai made it clear that ministers and Salameh alike should be prosecuted instead of only the central bank chief.
Here’s what we know:
• “The judiciary in Lebanon is politicized and confessional,” Rai said on Sunday in a televised interview on local TV channel LBCI. He considered that “an investigation must be carried out concerning the governor of the BDL and all the ministries,” and deemed it unacceptable “that only one person [Salemeh] is being prosecuted.”
• Where is the investigation into the explosion at the port of Beirut? he asked, pleading in favor of a “separation of powers.” The investigation into the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion has been repeatedly stalled by complaints and lawsuits filed by politicians and officials implicated in the case, who claim that the judge heading the probe, Tarek Bitar, has “politicized” the investigation.