Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Baabda. (Credit: File photo/Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's Foreign Ministry decided Saturday to send a committee to France to investigate Rami Adwan, Lebanon's ambassador to France, who is under investigation for rape and intentional violence.
Two former embassy employees recently issued complaints against Adwan, according to sources close to the investigation cited by AFP.
Adwan has served as Lebanon's ambassador to France since 2017. France on Friday asked Lebanon to lift Adwan's diplomatic immunity.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said it decided to "send a committee, headed by the ministry secretary general and its director of inspection, to the embassy in Paris to investigate the ambassador and listen to the testimonies of the employees of the embassy and its administrative workers.”
The Foreign Ministry also said it will ask French authorities to "clarify what has been reported in the media" because the ministry did not receive any official information regarding the investigation through diplomatic channels.
The Foreign Ministry said it will "legally act accordingly in a way that guarantees public interest" and that it is "keen to act responsibly with the case presented in a way that protects the reputation and the position of the [Lebanese] state."