Depositors' rights associations staged a sit-in on Thursday in front of Beirut Justice Palace, May 4, 2023. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Depositors' rights associations staged a sit-in on Thursday in front of Beirut Justice Palace, where a European judicial delegation probing alleged corruption is questioning Raja Salameh, the brother of Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh.
The associations "Our Money is Ours" and "Caliber" called on the delegation to stand in solidarity with Judge Ghada Aoun, who had charged BDL and commercial banks and was dismissed by a disciplinary council of Lebanese judges on Thursday.
The reasons for her dismissal were not disclosed to the press, but Judge Aoun was the subject of complaints to the Judicial Inspection.
Shortly after the announcement of her dismissal, Aoun spoke to the crowd of supporters gathered in front of the Beirut Justice Palace. Visibly moved, the magistrate said she had done nothing wrong.
The crowd said they stand "in support of the European delegation," and that they reject "the campaigns and pressures exerted on judges."
Raja Salameh hearing
Raja Salameh had skipped his scheduled hearings three times before finally showing up Thursday at the Justice Palace for questioning.
The Salameh brothers are suspected of having embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of BDL funds that were allegedly stored in European real estate and bank deposits. These funds were seized amid probes into the central bank chief by at least five European countries. Salameh and his associates have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Aoun, who in recent years has prosecuted several officials, including Riad Salameh, has found herself at the center of judicial turmoil. She is known for her closeness to former president Michel Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement party.
The protesters on Thursday called on the judges to "free themselves from all pressures," accusing the central bank's governor of being "the treasurer and overseer for every transaction with the state," while describing the political class as "criminals who took people's deposits, denied them access to [healthcare] treatment, and forced them to emigrate."
Attorney Odette Sawaya from the association "Caliber" said: "We do not stand today in support of a dedicated and courageous judge," referring to Aoun. "But rather we stand in support of ourselves, and in support of every depositor whose life has been plundered, in support of every citizen whose means of living have become narrow and is living from scraps... because of a corrupt system that ravaged the country with looting and theft."
"This system is trying to establish the principle of non-accountability," she added.
Both associations addressed the European delegation saying: “We are writing to express our deep concern about the situation in Lebanon, where corruption is rampant and the rule of law is eroding."
They also urged the delegation to monitor the situation in Lebanon closely and "publicly condemn any attempts to intimidate or undermine the independence of Lebanon's judiciary."