Members of the Mouttahidoun (United for Lebanon) collective deliver a statement on March 18, 2022. (Credit: @UnitedForLeb / Twitter)
BEIRUT — Lawyer Rami Ollaik, member of the Mouttahidoun collective, filed a personal complaint Thursday against Prime Minister Najib Mikati before the top investigating judge of Beirut Charbel Abou Samra for illicit enrichment within the framework of the business of Banque de l'Habitat, Lebanon’s housing bank, Ollaik confirmed to L’Orient Today.
Here’s what we know:
• Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun had in 2019 initiated proceedings against Mikati, his son Maher and his nephew Azami for illicit enrichment through subsidized housing loans.
• Reacting to the new complaint, the prime minister's press office on Thursday called Ollaik's accusations "lies about cases that turned out to be false." Mikati's press office also said that there was "no illicit enrichment and no abuse of public money.”
• The Mouttahidoun collective (United for Lebanon), a coalition of lawyers formed in 2016 whose stated objective is to "fight against corruption," are behind several recent complaints against politicians and the banking community.
• Najib Mikati’s wealth, along with that of his brother Taha, stands at $3.2 billion each, and has increased by $ 700 million in the past year, according to Forbes Magazine.