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Protesters injured, Judge Aoun sues BankMed, pregnant woman shot: Everything you need to know to start your Wednesday

Here’s what happened yesterday and what to expect today, Wednesday, May 10

Protesters injured, Judge Aoun sues BankMed, pregnant woman shot: Everything you need to know to start your Wednesday

Protesters gather in front of Parliament in Beirut decrying illegal bank restrictions on their deposits, May 9, 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)

Members of depositors’ rights group “The Depositors’ Cry” claimed to have been injured by security personnel of a Bank Audi branch in downtown Beirut during a protest yesterday. Depositors' Cry member Talal Khalil told L'Orient Today that he was surprised by the use of force, while the group’s members attempted to “write [slogans] on the walls and burn tires, just like [they] usually do.” The activists have previously staged similar protests outside caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s residence and the Beirut headquarters of the Association of Banks in Lebanon. Commercial banks restricted depositors’ access to foreign currency funds in 2019. The informal restrictions led to a series of attempts by depositors to forcibly withdraw their funds, prompting banks to close and reopen with heightened security measures.

Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Ghada Aoun filed a lawsuit against BankMed chairwoman and former Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan, accusing her of money laundering, lawyers’ collective “The people want the reform of the regime” announced yesterday. The lawsuit was referred to the first investigating judge of Mount Lebanon Nicolas Mansour. Last Thursday, the disciplinary council of judges dismissed Aoun, though the decision will not be implemented until the High Disciplinary Council of Magistrates rules on her appeal. The reason for the dismissal was not specified, though Aoun has repeatedly been chastised for not abiding by complaints barring her from pursuing her investigations. A recent example includes her attempt to bypass dismissal requests against her and pursue SGBL and Bank Audi for money laundering after they refused to remove banking secrecy on select officials’ accounts.

A pregnant woman is recovering from gunshot wounds at a Tripoli hospital, while the alleged shooter, her father, remains on the run, L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the area reported. A doctor at the Nini Hospital in Tripoli, where the woman is being treated, said she is being guarded by hospital personnel in intensive care after “her left hand was injured and fractured, and her small intestine was wounded and operated on.” Her “baby is in good health,” the doctor added, noting that they need to wait “48 hours before [they] can be sure that [she] will not have complications.” This tragedy follows a series of recent cases of violence against women in Lebanon. Ghida Anani, director of Abaad, an NGO focusing on women’s rights and gender equity, last August denounced “unprecedented” levels of domestic violence.

The Health Ministry’s medicine tracking program has avoided millions of dollars’ worth of losses while servicing over 15,000 people with cancer and chronic illnesses, caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad said yesterday. During a press conference on cancer prevention, Abiad expressed hope that the medicine tracking platform will be a cornerstone of further digitalization in his ministry. The Health Ministry launched the MediTrack digital platform earlier this year in an attempt to curb smuggling and ensure the availability of subsidized medicines. The health minister said that a national strategy to address cancer and the implementation of preventative measures would be necessary, alongside subsidies. Former Lebanese Order of Physicians’ head Georges Aftimos echoed Abiad’s emphasis on prevention, which include the avoidance of environmental factors and getting regular checkups to ensure early detection — including tests the ministry provides free of charge, Abiad said. Amid a fourth year of economic crisis, cancer patients continue to face prohibitively expensive treatment costs and medicine shortages.

In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Twitter post about US Embassy construction project draws controversy”

Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz

Members of depositors’ rights group “The Depositors’ Cry” claimed to have been injured by security personnel of a Bank Audi branch in downtown Beirut during a protest yesterday. Depositors' Cry member Talal Khalil told L'Orient Today that he was surprised by the use of force, while the group’s members attempted to “write [slogans] on the walls and burn tires, just like [they] usually...