Achraf Rifi summoned Tuesday after complaint from Hezbollah MP

A hearing is scheduled Tuesday before Beirut's first investigating judge, Roula Osman, to question MP and former minister Achraf Rifi, following legal action filed against him by a Hezbollah MP, Ibrahim Moussawi, about two months ago before Judge Osman’s predecessor, Bilal Halawi.

Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, the president of the Change Party, Elie Mahfoud, Rifi's lawyer and, with him, a member of the “Sovereignty Front,” states that his client, known for his anti-Hezbollah positions, is accused by Moussawi of “threats against civil peace and inciting sectarian strife,” among other things.

“We have not yet been informed of the exact content of the complaint, nor which statements by Mr. Rifi are being targeted,” he says, however.

Mahfoud also notes that his client will likely not attend the scheduled hearing and that lawyers from his team will go to learn about the accusations against him.

He further points out the “unconstitutionality” of the procedure, reminding that his client benefits from parliamentary immunity. “No legal proceedings can be initiated against an MP without first lifting their immunity,” he explains.

Soon after Moussawi’s suit, Rifi and MPs Elias Khoury, Georges Okais, Camille Chamoun (LF), as well as former LF MP Eddy Abillamaa and Elie Mahfoud, filed a complaint on Aug. 27 with the Court of Cassation against Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem.

To this day, that complaint has not yet been passed on to the judicial police for investigation.

This prompts Mahfoud and Rifi, also contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, to question a double standard in justice.

“Why does the judiciary act against a parliamentarian in violation of the Constitution, while remaining inactive in the face of a complaint targeting a Hezbollah official?” they ask.