Sign showing the entrance of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council in Beirut. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Activists filed a legal notification and lawsuit on Monday against all the Higher Shiite Council on charges of money laundering, in the context of the $2.5 in cash case, allegedly intended for Hezbollah, confiscated on Feb. 28 by Lebanese customs at Beirut airport.
Several accusations were then directed at the religious institution, known for its closeness to the party, after it claimed to be the recipient of this money transfer, brought into Lebanon by a man arriving from Turkey. The council requested at the end of February that the judiciary recover the sum, which it claimed was donations received from organizations abroad. Three sources previously confirmed to Reuters that the $2.5 million in cash that was seized was destined for Hezbollah, which the apprehended traveler denied.
The financial situation for Hezbollah has deteriorated significantly after the war against Israel which lasted from Oct.2023 until Nov.2024 and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, cutting the direct supply line between Tehran and Lebanon.
According to local media outlets, activists filed a "legal notice and lawsuit against all those whom the investigation shows to be perpetrators, accomplices, interferers, or instigators, including employees and members of both the legislative and executive bodies of the ... council on charges of money laundering and giving false justification." The charges include "usurpation and seizure of property, abuse of authority, breach of duty and embezzlement and exploitation of office", the activists said in a press conference on Monday.
The activists asked the Presidency of the Ministers Council to act as it is the legal supervisory authority over the Council.
They also announced that they are preparing for a third lawsuit, which will be based on holding the council accountable for abandoning its duties in overseeing khums and zakat funds, which refer to obligatory charity in Islam.
"This has left the [Council] unable to help the impoverished Shiites, especially during the recent war and the subsequent displacement and loss of hundreds of thousands of homes, livelihoods, and sources of income", the statement reads.
Mohammad Barakat, editor-in-chief of the Asas Media website, who is one of the activists behind the legal action against the Council, accused the "parties and thieves in power" of pocketing the charity funds.
Meanwhile, university professor Dr. Ali Khalifa, founding member of the "Tahrir" movement, expressed during the conference his rejection of the council becoming the "Higher Shiite Duo Council" in reference to Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
Higher Shiite Council's position
On Saturday, the Higher Shiite Council denounced the "national silence" in the face of the "lies and slander" directed at it.
"The Higher Shiite Islamic Council, which has long refrained from reacting to these calumnies, affirms that it is purer, more upright, and more honorable than these fallen individuals who target it with their lies", the Council said in a statement.
According to the statement, the council intends to take legal action to "prosecute those who insult a community that has offered Lebanon its best sons and paid a heavy tribute for the homeland," referring to the many Lebanese Shiites killed during the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, having caused more than 4,000 deaths in Lebanon. "All available means will be used to respond to this poisonous campaign, because the cup is full," it stated.
Contacted by L'Orient Today on Monday, a source at the Higher Shiite Council declined to comment further on the legal action, adding that the council's position was announced on Saturday.