Tripoli customs: Pascale Elia released on bail

North Lebanon investigating judge Jocelyne Matta decided Monday to release the head of the Tripoli regional customs office, Pascale Elia.

She had been arrested on Nov. 21 by financial prosecutor Maher Cheaito as part of a case involving customs clearance at the port for goods whose customs declarations were allegedly not consistent with reality. Elia posted the required bail of 250 million Lebanese liras (about $2,800) for her release.

Cheaito took up the case following an investigation by Al-Jadeed TV, which reported that five containers checked upon exiting the port by security services contained 100 tons of goods, while the customs service had declared only 50 tons.

Charged with professional negligence — a misdemeanor — Elia (the wife of former customs chief Badri Daher) had obtained Judge Matta’s approval for her release about 10 days ago. However, the North Lebanon appeals prosecutor, Hani Hajjar, appealed this decision before the indictment chamber, which decided last week to keep her detained.

The Tripoli regional chief’s lawyer, Georges Khoury, then submitted a new release request on Friday, which was accepted Monday after the prosecution did not challenge Judge Matta’s new decision to free Elia.

According to a source close to the case, Khoury’s request was partly based on a response from the Directorate General of Customs (to which the Tripoli port customs are attached) to Judge Matta’s request for further information, which reached her late last week.

In this context, the source said the customs directorate acknowledged that the Tripoli regional chief had fulfilled her professional obligation by assigning a customs inspector to verify whether the nature and quantity of the disputed goods matched reality. The source stressed that a regional chief is not required to personally conduct such inspections on site.

While the Al-Jadeed investigation cited fraud regarding the weight of the goods, it appears the judiciary determined that these goods — toys, store equipment, household items, etc. — are not taxed based on weight, but on quantity and value.

As for Tripoli port president Azzam Kanj, along with a customs inspector and a shipping agent arrested at the same time as Elia, they remain in detention. The three are reportedly suspected of falsifying customs declarations, which is a crime under the law because it involves official documents. Judge Matta has scheduled a hearing for Dec. 17 to question them.