The headquarters of EDL, in Beirut. (Credit: Philippe Hajj Boutros/ L'OLJ)
A scandal involving the theft of copper cables from the warehouses of Electricité du Liban (EDL), with an estimated weight of several hundred tons and a value of several million dollars, has recently come to light.
Under the supervision of financial prosecutor Maher Sheaito, State Security is conducting an investigation that led last week to the arrest of two EDL employees suspected of involvement in the case: the warehouse guard and the head of accounting at the public institution. As part of the probe, EDL director Kamal Hayek, was questioned but was not arrested.
According to a source familiar with the case, the copper cables were gradually removed from EDL's warehouses and replaced with iron cables, whose market value is negligible compared to that of copper. The two employees were arrested based on converging findings from the investigation. The warehouse guard because he is the only person with access to the warehouse keys and there were no signs of break-in or forced entry. The accounting chief is suspected of having facilitated the concealment of the operation by enabling the substitution and resale of the material through the alleged falsification of invoices and manipulation of accounting records.
According to our information, other EDL employees will be questioned by State Security throughout the week. People outside EDL will also be investigated, particularly to identify the networks involved in reselling the material.
The source added that the scheme was likely carried out over several years and involved an organized network and potentially multiple accomplices. The alleged thefts took place amid a lack of inventory oversight and serious deficiencies in stock control, circumstances that may have resulted in substantial losses to the public treasury.
