Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati shakes hands with Pope Francis in Vatican City on 16 March 2023. (Courtesy of: Hoda Chedid)
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Banque du Liban governor Riad Salameh could face several more days of questioning after his first time attending a hearing related to allegations of corruption yesterday in the presence of European investigators, a judicial source told AFP. The state-run National News Agency reported heavy military presence near the Beirut Justice Palace where Salameh appeared “as a witness,” the same source added, claiming the central bank chief will neither be charged nor arrested. Although yesterday’s hearing had been scheduled earlier this month by Lebanese Judge Charbel Abou Samra, he delegated the session to European investigators’ inquiries in light of their visit to Beirut this week. European investigators returned to Lebanon on Monday after French, German and Luxembourgish judges held a series of hearings in January as part of an investigation into alleged corruption by Salameh — who faces at least five European probes. Abou Samra last month charged Salameh, his brother Raja and one of his assistants with embezzlement and money laundering, illicit enrichment and tax evasion. On Wednesday, the Lebanese state represented by the head of the committee of cases at the Justice Ministry, Judge Helena Iskandar, lodged a complaint against the same three suspects fearing the loss of Lebanese states assets tangled in European litigation as new findings in foreign probes against Salameh emerged. Riad Salameh has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Public administration employees’ months-long strike will persist, union head Nawal Nasser said at a press conference, crediting in comments to L’Orient Today a number of achievements to the mobilization. Nasser called the strike “foundational,” defending it against criticisms from General Confederation of Lebanese Workers head Bechara al-Asmar, who said that employees “need to start by going to court” instead. At the same conference, Pharmacists’ Union head Joe Salloum called on all unions to “declare an open and general strike until the election of a president and the formation of a national rescue government.” Public administration employees have been on strike for eight months to protest the depreciation of their salaries, as the yet unimplemented increased minimum wage amounts to less than $43 per month. Strikes have repeatedly been observed by employees from other sectors demanding improved compensation — some of which have been resolved by government grants, while others, notably the public school teachers’ strike, remain contested. A hiring freeze for civil servants in effect since 2017 has led to wide-scale civil service vacancies in vital institutions as some public administrations remain open a single day per week.
The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Wednesday evening denied knowledge of any crossings of the Lebanese-Israeli border-delineating Blue Line in recent days after Israeli security forces claimed that the alleged perpetrator of a bombing had crossed over from Lebanon. “UNIFIL has not observed any crossing of the Blue Line in recent days,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in a statement, relaying a call from the peacekeepers’ head of mission for both “parties to use restraint, preserve stability, and employ UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms to avoid misunderstandings and decrease tension.” On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a tour of the Lebanese-Israeli border vowed to hold accountable the perpetrators of a roadside bombing which earlier in the week injured an Israeli citizen after Israeli security forces on Wednesday, following an altercation at a police stop, shot dead a suspect and arrested another. Israeli security forces said they were investigating Hezbollah’s potential involvement in the attack, claiming the slain suspect had crossed over from Lebanon and intended to commit a suicide bombing. A Hezbollah spokesperson denied having further knowledge about the incident when contacted by L’Orient Today on Wednesday while on Thursday the party’s parliamentary group refrained from commenting at the end of their weekly meeting.
Japan granted a $2 million endowment to the World Food Programme aiming to provide 300,000 people in Lebanon with six months’ worth of monthly in-kind food rations, the Japanese Embassy said in a statement yesterday. This donation comes as a “response to the deteriorating food security across the country, which was exacerbated by Russia's aggression against Ukraine,” the statement explained. Supermarkets began displaying product prices in dollars at the start of the month, while shoppers lamented about exorbitant food prices regardless of the dollarization.
During a visit to Vatican City, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati gave a letter outlining “the potential avenues of solution in which the Vatican could contribute” to Lebanon, especially in terms of helping end the presidential vacancy. Pope Francis stressed “the necessity of solidarity among Lebanese officials” to address the country’s crises. Mikati “invited Pope Francis to visit Lebanon, a visit that would be a glimmer of hope for the country's Christians and Muslims alike,” his press office’s statement said, adding that the caretaker premier received assurances from Vatican officials on their willingness to help Lebanon. A presidential vacancy has been in effect since the end of Michel Aoun’s term on Nov. 1 and a 12th election session has yet to be scheduled amid a lack of consensus. International actors are reportedly considering issuing sanctions against Lebanese officials deemed to be blocking the election.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Public administration employees continue their strike as unionists frustration with government inaction grows”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz