The affair highlights the fragility of a 'vulnerable' political environment, says Sheikh Fadlallah

BEIRUT — Shiite cleric Ali Fadlallah lamented Sunday that the fake Saudi prince known as "Abou Omar," at the center of a political and media scandal, managed to "manipulate" numerous Lebanese officials, thereby revealing "the fragility of a political environment vulnerable to infiltration."

During a dialogue meeting at the Islamic Cultural Center in Haret Hreik, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Sheikh Fadlallah said, "It is regrettable that this false prince succeeded in manipulating many people in positions of responsibility in the country and extorting them."

He added that "the issue lies not only in this individual's or his backers’ ability to deceive and pressure, but especially in the political environment’s vulnerability to such infiltration."

Stressing that those who dealt with him "are not ordinary citizens, but decision-makers and influential actors," he warned that what happened "goes beyond mere personal illusions to an infiltration that has exposed the state at a crucial moment in its governmental development."

Known as "Abu Omar," this affair involves a car mechanic from Akkar, suspected of posing — under this alias — as a senior Saudi representative to Lebanese political officials. He allegedly assured Lebanese politicians that they could secure Riyadh’s support for their campaigns, candidacies and activities in exchange for payments.

While the case is at the center of ongoing legal proceedings, revealed in late 2025 and involving an alleged scam, Fadlallah called for the matter to be fully investigated and all circumstances uncovered, "not from a standpoint of political one-upmanship, but in order to address a political reality driven by foreign demands."