Caretaker Minister of Justice, Henri Khoury, at a press conference on May 30, 2023 in Beirut. (Credit: Nabil Ismaïl)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Minister of Justice Henry Khoury on Tuesday defended his choice of assigning two French lawyers to represent the Lebanese state in the Riad Salameh case in France.
"I stand by my choice," Khoury said in a press conference. "These two lawyers will continue to exercise their functions [in the Salameh case]. The aim of their work is to protect the rights of the Lebanese state."
Khoury's choice of French criminal lawyers Emmanuel Daoud and Pascal Beauvais was criticized on Friday by Mikati's government, which had asked during a cabinet meeting for other names to be proposed. Khoury opposed the request.
Close to the Free Patriotic Movement and former president Michel Aoun, Khoury is one of the ministers that expressed opposition to cabinet meetings during the presidential vacancy.
The two renowned lawyers were chosen last March by Helene Iskandar, Head of the State Legal Department, to represent Lebanon in the Salameh case in France. They agreed to offer their services free of charge and signed contracts in April with the Minister of Justice, who immediately forwarded them to the Council of Ministers for approval by decree.
Meeting last Friday in the presence of only 17 of its members, the Council of Ministers decided to reconsider this choice of lawyers, and to instruct Mr. Khoury to submit new names.
The reason given in the minutes of the government meeting, which L'Orient-Le Jour consulted, was that lawyer Emmanuel Daoud was linked to an organization "suspected of promoting Zionist ideas."
"Emmanuel Daoud is Catholic, his father is Algerian and his mother French. He defended the Palestinian activist Salah Hammouri," said the Minister of Justice on Tuesday to justify his choice.
"Pascal Beauvais, on the other hand, has taken part in several conferences in Lebanon. He has defended the Yazidis in Syria and Iraq," Khoury continued.
"Trying to find jurists willing to work pro bono took us about a year. This choice was made in the presence of the head of the legal department," Khoury added. He also said that the French courts are due to deliver their verdict on the Salameh case on July 4. "If we are not there, the Lebanese authorities will have to take responsibility."
Council of Ministers postponed
Shortly after the Justice Minister's press conference, the press office of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the postponement of the cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the choice of French criminal lawyers.
Mikati called on Khoury to attend the meeting, but the latter declined the invitation.
"After the Minister of Justice announced his intention not to attend the meeting scheduled for tomorrow [Wednesday], the Prime Minister has decided to postpone it. He calls on the Minister to reconsider his position, as exposure [of the subject] in the media cannot replace the cabinet, which will ultimately have to decide on the matter," read the statement.
"Najib Mikati considers that no one is as keen as he is to protect Lebanon's interests, particularly with regard to [the Salameh] case before the French courts," it continued.
Mikati's statement accused Khoury of "paralyzing the work of the constitutional institutions," and threatened to hold the minister "responsible for any damage likely to affect the interests of the State."
"There is still time to take a suitable decision," the statement concluded.
Khoury's reaction to Mikati's criticism was swift.
In a statement, the Minister said that Mikati contacted him to inform him of his decision to adjourn the cabinet meeting. Mikati said he did not contact Khoury in relation to his plan to skip the meeting, but in order to examine the CVs of the two selected lawyers.
"The constitutional, legal and moral responsibility lies with whoever is blocking the appointment of the French lawyers," Khoury refuted in response to Mikati's accusations. "[I] will not accept that the Lebanese state won't be represented in trials abroad," he added
Subject to several investigations in both Lebanon and Europe, the BDL governor has become the recipient of an Interpol red notice following an international arrest warrant issued by the French judiciary. Additionally, Lebanon was verbally informed by Germany on Tuesday of another arrest warrant for Salameh on charges of "corruption, forgery, money laundering and embezzlement," according to Reuters.