Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (Credit: AFP/archive photo)
BEIRUT — Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri called for a joint session to be held on Firday between the Parliament Bureau and the Administration and Justice Committee, according to a statement run by the official National News Agency.
The session would be held at 11:00 am on Friday at the headquarters of the Speaker of Parliament in Ain al-Tineh, Beirut.
The reason for this meeting was not detailed by NNA and but follows a request made on Tuesday by Jamal Hajjar, the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, that the Parliament Bureau rescind the immunity of Georges Bouchikian, former Minister of Industry and current member of parliament.
According to a source close to the Bureau, when a request for immunity to be lifted is sent, the Bureau and the committee need to study the file and prepare a report for the MPs that is then sent to the plenary session, where MPs cast their vote on the decision.
Bouchikian and his ministry “are accused of demanding money from manufacturers in exchange for granting them licenses to operate,” according to information revealed in a report published last February.
On July 1, Bouchikian appeared before the public prosecutor for a hearing, but there was no action taken against him. Parliament is currently operating under an extraordinary session, meaning Bouchikian's immunity has been extended too.
An extraordinary session was convened at the request of President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in order to continue progress on legislative reforms.
