Gracia Azzi, new Director General of Lebanese Customs. (Credit: Photo circulating on social media)
The appointment of Gracia Azzi as head of the Directorate of Customs on Thursday sparked widespread debate, as she is being prosecuted in the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion and a 2018 corruption case.While the government cited the presumption of innocence to justify its choice, jurists, relatives of the Aug. 4 tragedy victims and activists denounce the decision as morally problematic.A native of Jiyeh in the Chouf, Azzi, 54, joined the Directorate General of Customs in 1993. She later held several positions within the institution before becoming a member of the Supreme Customs Council in 2017.A year later, she was the subject of prosecution initiated by the then Mount Lebanon public prosecutor, Ghada Aoun, in a corruption investigation within the Directorate General of Customs. This investigation remains unresolved. ...
The appointment of Gracia Azzi as head of the Directorate of Customs on Thursday sparked widespread debate, as she is being prosecuted in the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion and a 2018 corruption case.While the government cited the presumption of innocence to justify its choice, jurists, relatives of the Aug. 4 tragedy victims and activists denounce the decision as morally problematic.A native of Jiyeh in the Chouf, Azzi, 54, joined the Directorate General of Customs in 1993. She later held several positions within the institution before becoming a member of the Supreme Customs Council in 2017.A year later, she was the subject of prosecution initiated by the then Mount Lebanon public prosecutor, Ghada Aoun, in a corruption investigation within the Directorate General of Customs. This investigation remains unresolved. ...
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