A worker sitting amid the rubble at the port of Beirut, June 27, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine.)
BEIRUT - Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, conducted an inspection tour on Friday morning at the Beirut port, recently under scrutiny following accusations of Hezbollah arms smuggling. He then visited the long-time closed, due to a corruption investigation vehicle registration center in Dekouaneh, east of the capital.
The presidents tour at the Beirut port, was accompanied by the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Fayez Rassamny, allowed officials to meet with the acting Director General of Customs, Raymond Khoury, and inspect operations within this administration and in the various centers of the security agencies deployed at the port.
On Tuesday evening, the Al-Arabiya channel, known to be close to the Saudi government, claimed that units of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were sending “weapons, equipment, and funds” to Hezbollah via Beirut port, “under the supervision of Wafic Safa,” the head of Hezbolla's liaison unit, “without any authority conducting inspections or supervising these activities.” Hezbollah categorically denied any arms transfer via the port, while Fayez Rassamny, who visited the site on Wednesday, announced a security plan and denounced the “dangerous and surprising” allegations from the Saudi television channel.
Warm welcome in Dekouaneh
In Dekouaneh, at the vehicle mechanical inspection center, the head of state was accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Ahmad Hajjar. “Those who protect corruption are complicit,” Aoun said to a group of citizens present to complete formalities. He asked those present to “inform them,” himself and Minister Hajjar, in case of any infraction and to become “their eyes” in this administration, before being warmly applauded.
During his visit, President Aoun emphasized the importance of conducting regular customs inspections of imported goods and not showing leniency "towards those guilty of violations."
The vehicle registration and technical inspection centers in Lebanon have been closed multiple times, for varying periods in recent years, due to employee strikes and judicial procedures launched against certain officials, including the department director, over suspicions of corruption. For several months, it was impossible to register vehicles, obtain license plates, or obtain driver’s licenses. The administration gradually reopened its doors, particularly after training military personnel to carry out certain procedures.
Later on, during a meeting between the president and the head of port security, Albert Chbib, the latter stated that port operations are “proceeding normally under the supervision of security forces”.
On the tour of the container port accompanied by the acting Director General of Customs, Raymond Khoury, President Aoun stressed the importance of “maintaining strict customs control over imported goods, collecting taxes fairly and in accordance with current laws, and showing zero tolerance toward violators.”
He also spoke with several citizens visiting the port for administrative procedures, urging them to “report any illegal practices.” “No infraction will be tolerated anymore, regardless of its origin,” he declared.
This visit was “part of the president’s follow-up on the work of public institutions and citizens’ complaints,” according to the presidential palace in Baabda. He took the opportunity to inspect the institution’s operations and “listen to users’ needs.”
In a discussion with the acting head of the vehicle registration department, Nazih Qobrosli, the president called on the official to “double efforts to meet citizens’ demands and accelerate the processing of files” that had piled up due to repeated closures. Meeting with officers working within the institution, he urged them to “prevent bribery, facilitate procedures, and monitor any violations of users’ rights.” He also emphasized the importance of adhering to the traffic code and existing laws during a stop at the driving license examination center.
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