Sheikh Khaldoun Oraymet welcoming visitors at his home in Akkar, on Dec. 21, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT —The Beirut criminal court, presided over by Judge Bilal Dennaoui, has set the next hearing in the so-called "Abu Omar" case for Nov. 3, a judicial source told L’Orient-Le Jour on Thursday.
The case involves Mustapha Hessiane, also known as Abu Omar, a mechanic from Akkar (North Lebanon) who allegedly posed as a member of the Saudi royal family to Lebanese politicians and businessmen, as well as Khaled Oraymet, a Sunni sheikh suspected of playing a key role in facilitating contacts between the alleged impostor and his victims. Both men have been in custody since last December.
According to information obtained by L’Orient-Le Jour, Oraymet has also filed a request for release. However, on the eve of the judicial vacation, it is unlikely that the chamber presided over by Judge Dennaoui will consider it. The request should therefore be transmitted to the duty court, as courts operate on a rotation system during the judicial vacation to ensure continuity of judicial services.
The hearing, initially scheduled for the beginning of the month, had been postponed following an appeal lodged by another Sunni sheikh, Khaled Sabsabi, against the indictment issued against him last May by the indictment chamber presided over by Kamal Nassar. This chamber referred him to the criminal court for "false testimony" in a case described as "the crime of exposing Lebanon to the risk of hostile acts disrupting its relations with a foreign state," in this instance Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Judge Dennaoui has authorized a doctor to examine Oraymet, held at the Defense Ministry, following a request submitted by his lawyer to the criminal court.
None of the political figures whose names were mentioned by Abu Omar during the different stages of the investigation have acknowledged being defrauded. Some of these figures told the former public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation that the sums they paid were for charitable organizations linked to Oraymet, while others cited contributions to hospitalization funds.
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