Two young men leisurely smoking shisha by the sea. Beirut, June 28, 2020 (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
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The disciplinary council of judges yesterday dismissed Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Ghada Aoun. The council did not specify why it dismissed the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal attorney general, though she considered the ruling “vindictive” while speaking to a crowd of depositors’ rights association members gathered outside the Beirut Justice Palace. Aoun said she had “done her duty in good conscience,” citing international investigations into legal cases she opened, which had been controversial in Lebanon — namely US sanctions against the Rahme brothers who allegedly procured tainted fuel for government contracts and European probes into alleged corruption committed by central bank chief Riad Salameh. Aoun has repeatedly been the subject of complaints to the judicial inspection, often for not abiding by dismissal requests. A recent complaint followed Aoun’s attempt to prosecute banking officials who refused to comply with her document requests. In 2021, she was referred to the disciplinary council for raiding the headquarters of money exchanger Mecattaf, despite having been dismissed from that case.
Raja Salameh attended a hearing before European judges investigating his brother, Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh, for alleged embezzlement of central bank funds. Raja Salameh broke a streak of three no-shows yesterday, appearing for his questioning with a delegation of French, German and Luxembourgian judges who were cheered on by depositors’ rights associations staging a sit-in outside the Beirut Justice Palace. The foreign magistrates are scheduled tomorrow to question a third auditor from a firm that examined BDL accounts before concluding their third visit to Beirut. The central bank chief is the subject of at least five European probes in countries, where assets tied to him have been seized on grounds that they were purchased with embezzled central bank funds through a company owned by his brother, Raja. Raja Salameh was released at a historic bail of LL100 billion last May after he was charged and arrested for “complicity with illicit enrichment” following a hearing at a courthouse east of Beirut. Riad and Raja Salameh, along with former assistant Marianne Hoayek, face local charges of bribery, forgery and use of forgeries, money laundering, illicit enrichment and tax evasion.
General Security announced it would begin accepting applications from “displaced Syrians wanting to return to their hometowns,” in a relaunch of “voluntary returns from Lebanon to Syrian territory.” Applications for returns can be submitted in centers across Lebanon from Monday to Friday, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The announcement follows aggressive policing and an increase in anti-Syrian rhetoric across the country. Last week, caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced the launch of a census to record data on displaced Syrians, who are required to show proof that their information had been collected before being able to lease property or obtain certain official documents. Last November, more than 1,000 displaced Syrians in Lebanon returned to Syria in a series of repatriation trips which drew controversy from international organizations. Rights groups have warned of the dangers associated with refugees’ return to Syria, including mandatory military conscription, arrest and forced disappearance.
Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said his country has “no objection to any [presidential] candidate who will gain the confidence of the Lebanese,” refuting claims of a veto against Hezbollah’s preferred candidate Sleiman Frangieh. Saudi Arabia “does not veto candidates, doesn’t support any particular candidate and refuses to be drawn into Lebanese internal affairs,” Bukhari said after his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai. Bukhari also met with Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel, who reiterated his refusal for “a candidate affiliated to Hezbollah.” Gemayel called for greater cooperation among opposition parties to “agree on another candidate and lead the battle [to get said candidate elected].” Hezbollah and the Amal Movement announced their support for Frangieh after having cast blank votes during the first 11 election sessions — which have yet to end the presidential vacuum that has been in effect since Nov. 1. Last week, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, Mohamad Raad, urged other political actors to “put forward their candidates for discussion” — a condition cited by Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri for scheduling a 12th election session.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Lebanon’s young shisha smokers: A generation waiting for a job, a visa, ‘a miracle’”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz