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CORRUPTION

Suspected of corruption, the Baalbeck mayor resigns

Two months before the municipal elections, Baalbeck is left with an inept municipal council accused of not doing its job properly.

Suspected of corruption, the Baalbeck mayor resigns

The resigning president of the municipality of Baalbeck, Fouad Ballouk. (Credit: ANI)

The mayor of Baalbek, Fouad Ballouk, submitted his resignation on March 28. His decision to step down is likely linked to a scandal that circulated on social media in January 2023.

Ballouk had been accused of corruption after a video surfaced accusing him of taking bribes from the manager of an unauthorized landfill that has since been closed. Speaking to L’Orient-Le Jour, Ballouk denied any involvement in corruption, while his critics claim the opposite.

On Jan. 24, Ballouk was called out by the manager of the Kayyal landfill, Wissam Jaafar, a member of the area's influential Jaafar clan.. The authorities immediately closed the controversial landfill in the presence of the Baalbek-Hermel Mohafez (governor) Bashir Khodr, escorted by the army. Jaafar accused the mayor of having authorized the landfill in return for several bribe payments.

Set up during the Civil War on a Roman quarry, the inhabitants of the area near the landfill have regularly complained. The garbage, which is often covered with sand or burned in the open air without any prior sorting, releases toxic fumes. Before going to the site and forcing the manager to close it down, Khodr demanded the closure of the site on several occasions and denounced the lack of cooperation from local authorities..

“This story was the straw that broke the camel’s back and opened the file of corruption in the municipality of Baalbeck,” said an official close to the case who requested anonymity. According to this official, Fouad Ballouk, who is close to Hezbollah, was given up by the party,“because the case has turned the public opinion against the elected official, whose performance was not convincing.”

“The party that initially supported [the Mayor] proposed to remove him temporarily, before reinstating him in his position when things calm down. But the inhabitants are now hostile to his retention,” the source continued. He also spoke of an atmosphere of “chaos” within the municipality. Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, a Hezbollah spokesman said he was not aware of the details of this case.

A change in the next municipal elections?

Ballouk refuted the accusations of corruption and said he resigned to protect the public interest. “I left because of the financial situation and not for political reasons or because of suspicions of corruption. The municipality could not function lately, we could not afford to fill our vehicles with fuel or pay our employees,” he told L’Orient-Le Jour.“Let those who have things to say about me resort to the judiciary.”

Since the beginning of the economic crisis almost four years ago, municipal budgets have been heavily affected by the depreciation of the Lebanese lira, which has led to dysfunctions in many localities. With the next municipal elections expected to take place in May, Ballouk will be replaced by the municipal council’s vice president, Mustapha Shall.

A well-informed source in Baalbeck told our correspondent Sarah Abdallah that the Baalbeck municipality has been shaken recently by other corruption cases that led to the resignation of members of the municipal council. Shall was not available to confirm this information or provide details on the cases in question.

Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, an activist in the area, who also requested anonymity, denounced the “mismanagement” of Baalbeck’s affairs by the local elected officials and suggested that the election of new officials who are not affiliated with the major political parties could be possible. “The people are desperate in Baalbeck, because corruption has undermined the municipality,” the activist said, “in the last municipal elections [in 2016], civil society candidates had obtained a number of votes close to those supported by Hezbollah.” 

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Joelle El Khoury. 

The mayor of Baalbek, Fouad Ballouk, submitted his resignation on March 28. His decision to step down is likely linked to a scandal that circulated on social media in January 2023.Ballouk had been accused of corruption after a video surfaced accusing him of taking bribes from the manager of an unauthorized landfill that has since been closed. Speaking to L’Orient-Le Jour, Ballouk denied any...