Parliament to meet Wednesday over Bouchikian's parliamentary immunity

Parliament will hold a plenary session on Wednesday to decide whether to lift the parliamentary immunity of former Industry Minister Georges Bouchikian, Vice President of Parliament Elias Bou Saab announced on Monday.

On July 8, Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation Jamal Hajjar sent a letter to Parliament’s General Secretariat, via Justice Minister Adel Nassar, requesting the lifting of Bouchikian’s parliamentary immunity to permit prosecution for embezzlement and forgery, according to information published in a February article. On July 1, the prosecutor general questioned the former minister but did not take any action against him. Bouchikian currently retains parliamentary immunity during the ongoing extraordinary session.

Currently a Tashnag MP for Zahleh, Bouchikian is the second minister from Najib Mikati’s previous government (2021-2025) to face legal proceedings in a corruption case. His former Economy Ministry colleague, Amine Salam, is in detention along with several other officials in a bribery case.

Another item on Wednesday’s agenda, according to Bou Saab, is the formation of a parliamentary investigative committee to look into the Telecoms file, which caused a scandal in 2019 also involving misuse of public funds. The case allegedly involves former Telecoms ministers Nicolas Sehnaoui (2011-2014), Boutros Harb (2014-2016) and Jamal Jarrah (2016-2019). According to Parliament’s deputy speaker, Wednesday’s session will give both lawmakers and the former ministers involved an opportunity to defend themselves before the inquiry committee is formed, which will require an absolute majority of MPs (65 out of 128).

In November 2019, during a major protest movement against the authorities, then-financial prosecutor Ali Ibrahim had referred the three former ministers to the Supreme Court in charge of trying ministers and presidents, a body that has never been formally activated. No further action was taken on the case at that time.

This meeting will take place at 11 a.m., Elias Bou Saab confirmed.

“We are not accusing anyone, and this decision does not imply that anyone is guilty,” he clarified. “What we reviewed was the investigation conducted, or rather the report prepared by the subcommittee that was formed” during the last meeting held two weeks ago. He stressed that the report was prepared “without any pressure.”

According to Bou Saab, the two cases will be discussed in the same session due to their “similarity.” He noted that the investigation into alleged corruption at the Telecommunications Ministry had been delayed due to “exceptional circumstances — the absence of a president, the inability to legislate, and a Parliament that was not functioning normally” when the matter was first raised “two years ago.”

He added that Speaker Nabih Berri “insisted these issues could no longer be postponed.” “The General Assembly will have the final say on both cases,” Bou Saab stated.

As for the former telecommunications ministers involved, they will be allowed to speak during Wednesday’s session, either in person or through a lawyer. Based on this hearing, MPs will vote on whether or not to establish a parliamentary investigation committee. Creating such a committee requires an absolute majority — at least 65 MPs. If approved, a second vote will be held to appoint its members.

In a statement, Bouchikian responded to rumors circulated by some media outlets, clarifying that he had "left Lebanese territory on July 7, 2025, for a personal and family trip that had been planned for several months, and that at that time, no legal proceedings or official requests to lift his immunity had been issued against him."

He added, “The decision by the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation to seek prosecution and the lifting of immunity was only issued on July 9, several days after my departure from the country, which completely refutes any accusation of evasion or avoidance of responsibility.”

He reiterated his full willingness to cooperate with any competent authority, “in the appropriate place and at the appropriate time.”

Finally, he expressed “full confidence in the sense of responsibility of the MPs and their commitment to preserving the Constitution and institutional safeguards,” expressing his belief that Parliament “will make its decision in this matter with discernment and impartiality, free from media pressure or populist influence.”