BEIRUT — The investigative judge of Mount Lebanon, Kamal Nassar, last week indicted M.H., who was arrested on Feb. 28 at Beirut international airport while attempting to bring $2.5 million in cash into the country from Turkey. His case has been transferred to the single criminal judge of Mount Lebanon, a senior judicial source told L'Orient-Le Jour.

After the suspect's arrest, the acting head of the public prosecutor's office, Jamal Hajjar, initiated proceedings against him. The case was then referred to the Mount Lebanon appeals prosecution, which referred it on March 5 to Nicolas Mansour, the first investigative judge at the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal. Mansour later forwarded it to Nassar.

The Higher Shiite Council, the top religious authority of the Shiite community in Lebanon, claimed ownership of the funds three days after its seizure. It sent a note to the Court of Cassation, requesting the recovery of the $2.5 million in cash, arguing that the money came from donations from organizations abroad.

Local broadcaster MTV reported that M.H. received the money in the duty-free zone of Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul from a man who had arrived from Iran. The report also claimed to have information suggesting the money was intended for Hezbollah, which the M.H. denied.

Hezbollah's financial situation has worsened after 13 months of war against Israel followed by the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria in early December, which cut off the direct supply line between Tehran and the party. The party has also faced increased supply difficulties due to tighter control of Lebanon's land, sea and air borders, as well as heightened surveillance by the U.S., and the Lebanese army. 

Also following the cease-fire agreement concluded with Israel, the Israeli military has continuously conducted airstrikes on what it claims are smuggling routes, while also flying drones over various regions in Lebanon.