Judge unable to hold hearing in Mecattaf case amid recusal appeal

The first investigating judge in Mount Lebanon, Nada al-Asmar, was unable to hold a scheduled hearing Tuesday in the Mecattaf case after the Mouttahidoun collective, which filed the complaint, informed her that it had appealed to the Court of Cassation seeking her removal from the case, sources told L'Orient Today Tuesday.

The case is named after Mecattaf, a money transfer company sued in 2021 by Ghada Aoun, then attorney general at the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal.

The appeal prevented Asmar from reviewing documents and evidence she had requested from various parties during a hearing in June. The investigation’s next steps will depend on the Court of Cassation’s ruling.

Suspecting illicit transfers of funds, Aoun had also initiated proceedings against several individuals and institutions, including former Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh, Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL) and Maya Dabbagh, chairwoman of the Banking Control Commission.