Teachers gather in front of the Ministry of Education in Beirut, March 6, 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine)
BEIRUT — The Beirut Indictment Chamber presided over by Judge Maher Cheaito unanimously decided to release Amal Chaaban, secretary of the Pre-University Equivalence Commission at the Lebanese Ministry of Education, on bail, according to a report on Thursday from the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Chaaban has been detained since late December on suspicion of taking bribes and illicit payments in connection with the Iraqi student diploma affair. On Jan. 8, Judge Cheaito overturned a previous decision by Beirut investigating judge Assaad Bayram to release the civil servant, who is also head of the official school examinations department, on bail of 100 million Lebanese pounds. Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim, unhappy with the release notice, had referred the decision back to the prosecuting authority for reevaluation.
The school equivalences provided by the Lebanese Ministry of Education to Iraqi students are a reciprocal measure between Lebanon and Iraq. Baghdad provides Lebanon with oil to improve its daily electricity supply, and in return it demands cooperation in the field of education, in particular, the recognition of Iraqi school and university diplomas, given that the two systems are different. This measure is meant to enable Iraqi students, civil servants, and political figures not only to enroll in universities in Lebanon or elsewhere but also to benefit from substantial advantages within the civil service in Iraq.
Several universities in Lebanon are receiving applications from Iraqi students to pursue their studies, including the Islamic University of Lebanon (IUL), known for its proximity to the Shiite community, and Jinan University, which is close to the Sunni community, particularly the former leader of the Islamic Action Front, Fathi Yakan, who died in 2009.