The Beirut Palace of Justice. Photo by Claude ASSAF
Three days after receiving the Hawk III case file from the Court of Cassations prosecutor’s office — concerning fuel price inflation and document forgery — financial prosecutor Mohammad Cheaito on Friday pressed charges against four individuals suspected of involvement.
They include the captain of the Hawk III and his assistant, both Philippine nationals.
The Panama-flagged vessel is alleged to have transported Russian fuel sold to Electricité du Liban (EDL) by an importing company at an inflated price, causing an estimated $4 million loss to the Lebanese state.
The other two defendants, identified as E.L. and A.D., are representatives of companies involved in the transport and sale of the fuel, including a firm responsible for verifying cargo loading and unloading at Mersin, Turkey. Authorities allege the Hawk III docked at this port to simulate the unloading of Russian fuel — which is subject to international sanctions — making it appear the cargo had been replaced with Turkish fuel using falsified documents.
Sanctions allow the purchase of Russian fuel only if its price does not exceed a cap of about $45 per barrel, well below the international market rate of roughly $62. By concealing the cargo’s true origin, the importing company is accused of allegedly billing the Lebanese state the standard international price while paying only the capped rate, illegally pocketing the difference.
According to sources, Cheaito, who has also taken action against several implicated companies, has asked Beirut’s chief investigative judge, Roula Osman, to issue arrest warrants for the two Filipinos and E.L., all of whom have been in custody since Sept. 19 by order of Cassations prosecutor Jamal Hajjar. Cheaito has also requested an arrest warrant in absentia for A.D., who remains at large.
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