The "Salle des Pas Perdus" at the Beirut courthouse. (Credit: Claude Assaf/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Beirut’s first investigating judge, Roula Osman, issued Tuesday her indictment against Mustafa al-Hessian, also known as Abu Omar, a mechanic from Akkar (northern Lebanon), who posed as a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal court to Lebanese political figures and businesspeople. He promised them support from the kingdom in their dealings and activities in exchange for payments.The judge also charged Sunni cleric Khaled Oraytem, who is said to have played a key role in facilitating contacts between the impostor and his alleged victims. Under Article 288 of the Penal Code, which provides for prison sentences for “anyone who compromises relations with a foreign state,” Osman accused the two men — who have been in custody since December 2025 — of acts likely to disrupt ties between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, offenses legally classified as crimes...
Beirut’s first investigating judge, Roula Osman, issued Tuesday her indictment against Mustafa al-Hessian, also known as Abu Omar, a mechanic from Akkar (northern Lebanon), who posed as a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal court to Lebanese political figures and businesspeople. He promised them support from the kingdom in their dealings and activities in exchange for payments.The judge also charged Sunni cleric Khaled Oraytem, who is said to have played a key role in facilitating contacts between the impostor and his alleged victims. Under Article 288 of the Penal Code, which provides for prison sentences for “anyone who compromises relations with a foreign state,” Osman accused the two men — who have been in custody since December 2025 — of acts likely to disrupt ties between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, offenses legally...
