Jiyyeh, Zouk power plants: Karim Khayat under judicial supervision for falsification, embezzlement

BEIRUT — Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Jamal Hajjar questioned Karim Khayat, chairman of Middle East Power (MEP) — a Lebanese company tasked with operating the Zouk and Jiyyeh power plants — for four hours as part of the investigation into him and Yahia Mawloud, the company’s operations director, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Tuesday.

The two men are suspected of falsification and misappropriation of public funds in the implementation of the maintenance contract for the Jiyyeh and Zouk thermal power plants.

Following the hearing, Hajjar decided to keep Khayat under judicial supervision and banned him from leaving the country, while Mawloud will be summoned for questioning in the coming days.

The standoff between Khayat and Électricité du Liban (EDL) erupted over suspicions of document falsification and public funds embezzlement related to the operation and maintenance of the Zouk and Jiyyeh plants.

EDL accuses MEP of submitting false reports in order to obtain payments amounting to several million dollars, while Khayat denounces what he calls a media campaign orchestrated by the public provider to sideline him from future contracts.

The case has taken on a media dimension through the Al Jadeed channel — owned by Karim Khayat’s father — where both sides accuse each other of influencing the judiciary and manipulating public opinion.

The judicial case, opened since last October, also involves the German company Everllence, whose documents are alleged to have been forged, and highlights a persistent conflict over the management of Lebanon’s power plants and the use of public funds.