Adel Nassar defends his circular to notaries, comments on several issues

Justice Minister Adel Nassar stated over the weekend that Lebanon must strengthen transparency in its governance to avoid isolating itself from the rest of the world. These remarks came as the minister ramped up controls on notarial acts in Lebanon in an unexpected decision.

"This step is crucial if Lebanon wants to remain connected to the global financial system," Nassar said. The minister was speaking at a conference at Saint Joseph University, under the theme "The judiciary between independence, law, and the path toward the state."

According to Circular No. 1355, published on Friday, the Justice Ministry now requires notaries to implement a stronger system to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The circular aims to improve the traceability of transactions and limit mechanisms that provide hidden control over assets or businesses.

This measure comes as Lebanon has been on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list for about a year, meaning it is among countries that do not sufficiently fight financial crime. Lebanon has committed to a plan to regain compliance with FATF standards, but is not expected to be removed from the list immediately. The country’s banking sector has also been paralyzed since the crisis began in 2019, as authorities have postponed for six years the difficult but necessary reforms to clean it up and make it functional again.

"Lebanon cannot remain isolated from the world; we must accept the principles of transparency, because the higher national interest requires it. No one benefits from the presence of money laundering or terrorist financing," Nassar emphasized.

Habib Chartouni’s extradition

The minister also commented on recent meetings between Lebanese and Syrian delegations, held over the past several weeks, to resolve several matters, including the release of Syrian prisoners held in Lebanon or individuals who committed crimes and then fled to Syria.

"I personally requested the extradition of Habib Chartouni," he said, adding that he also requested information about political assassinations and the forcibly disappeared, something he had already mentioned on Oct. 3. Chartouni was convicted for the 1982 assassination of former president-elect and Lebanese Forces leader, Bachir Gemayel.

"The essential thing is to push these investigations forward," Nassar continued. "The response was positive and understanding." On Syrians detained in Lebanon, he said: "Both parties had a positive approach, but the solution cannot come at the expense of the blood of the Lebanese people."

On the investigations into the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, the minister specified that he does not intervene in the work of the investigative judge handling the case, Tarek Bitar. However, he noted he was following the extradition case of the Rhosus ship owner, Igor Grechushkin, currently "detained but not yet questioned." The Rhosus had transported and unloaded in 2014 the ammonium nitrate responsible for the deadly double explosion at the port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020. Igor Grechushkin was arrested on Sept. 5 this year in Sofia, Bulgaria.

State's monopoly on weapons

On the disarmament of armed groups operating in Lebanon, including Hezbollah and Palestinian militias, Nassar affirmed that "the monopoly of weapons under state authority is an essential domestic requirement for building the state." "The Lebanese Army is doing an immense job, the disarmament process is happening away from the media and will continue in line with the military institution’s plan," he added.

The Lebanese Army is tasked with implementing the government-approved plan to disarm Hezbollah and other militias, in line with the Cabinet decision of Aug. 5 reaffirming the state's monopoly over weapons. The Salam government is scheduled to meet on Monday to hear from the army commander, General Rodolph Haykal, who will provide an initial assessment of the forces' actions on this front.

Raouche Rock case

Finally, Nassar addressed the issue of projections of portraits of former Hezbollah secretary-generals Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine on the Raouche Rock on Sept. 25. "The illumination of Raouche was a breach of an administrative decision, and through it, the party sent a message to its supporters saying: 'I am above state authority,'" he argued, before assuring that judicial procedures were ongoing and should conclude soon.

This issue, like disarmament, is on the agenda for a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday at 3 p.m.