Lebanese judiciary charges judge with ‘inciting sectarian strife’

A picture shows the Lebanese Parliament building during the 4th session to elect a new President in Beirut on October 24, 2022. (AFP)
A picture shows the Lebanese Parliament building during the 4th session to elect a new President in Beirut on October 24, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 14 November 2022
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Lebanese judiciary charges judge with ‘inciting sectarian strife’

A picture shows the Lebanese Parliament building during the 4th session to elect a new President in Beirut on October 24, 2022.
  • Parliament speaker and wife file complaint against FPM ally Ghada Aoun

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s prosecutor general Judge Ghassan Oueidat charged Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Monday with “spreading false news, violating job duties, inciting sectarian strife, inciting conflict between the nation’s components, humiliation, slander and abuse of power.”

It is the first allegation of its kind made by the judiciary against a member of the judicial body in Lebanon.

Aoun’s opponents accuse her of showing bias in favor of the Free Patriotic Movement and former president Michel Aoun, and following the faction’s orders to prosecute Banque du Liban Gov. Riad Salameh and officials in the banking sector on corruption charges.

The lawsuit filed by Oueidat comes two weeks after the end of former president Michel Aoun’s term.

The controversial judge posted a photo on Twitter last week of a list of politicians, businessmen and banking figures including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, his wife Randa Berri and former prime minister Fouad Siniora.

She claimed that the figures smuggled tens of billions of dollars combined into Swiss bank accounts.

She captioned the photo: “I do not know how valid this information is, but why don’t the people whose names appear on this list reveal their accounts with Swiss banks for the sake of transparency only?”

The list did not include the name of any individual in the faction to which she is affiliated — the FPM.

Aoun’s tweet provoked angry reactions, with activists revealing that the list had previously been published by WikiLeaks but did not contain factual information.

Activists accused Aoun of undermining the legal profession by publishing information without fact-checking.

Aoun deleted the post the same day, tweeting: “I did not accuse anyone. The list had been shared in the media; I was not the first to post about it.

“In any case, if any public prosecution receives this information, it is its duty to open an investigation. No investigation was conducted in this regard, although everyone knows that many did transfer money abroad, regardless of the amounts.”

Aoun’s initial tweet, however, prompted Berri and his wife to file a legal complaint against the judge.

Oueidat listened to the testimony of Berri’s attorney, Ali Rahal, who reiterated his complaint against Aoun.

But Aoun did not appear before Oueidat and quickly filed a complaint against him before the Civil Court of Cassation.

Oueidat referred a copy of the claim to the Judicial Inspection Board.

A judicial source told Arab News: “This procedure means that the Judicial Inspection Board is the one who is trying Aoun and may expand the investigation, but the board is now paralyzed in light of the dispute over the appointment of its members between the Supreme Judicial Council and the government.”

The judicial source added that it is the first time that a charge of this kind has been made against a judge, noting that many judges have previously been charged with violating their job duties and were referred to the Judicial Inspection Board and the Disciplinary Council for investigation.

Aoun’s legal representative, Pascal Fahd, said: “Judge Aoun did appear before Oueidat but submitted a complaint because there was a conflict of interest with Oueidat, in addition to his lack of jurisdiction in this case.”

Berri’s attorney said: “The lawsuit is legal, and we are determined to proceed with it. She offended their dignity and we will not back down. Her failure to appear before Oueidat is proof that she is guilty.”

Former general prosecutor Hatem Madi said that like all judges, Aoun enjoys immunity, with only Lebanon’s prosecutor general able to override it, after which they can take appropriate action.

“If he refers her to the Judicial Inspection Board, she can still have immunity, but the prosecution against Aoun means lifting her immunity,” said Madi.

Investigation and prosecution procedures are carried out in accordance with Article 344 and the Code of Criminal Procedure, added Madi.

Former prime minister Fouad Siniora said that Aoun’s tweet deserves ridicule because it was “absolutely absurd.”

He added: “However, this was not an isolated incident, but rather a part of a political agenda that uses the judiciary as a tool for personal interest, which I have been subject to before and it only made me stronger.”

Siniora said that Aoun “has become known for such actions, and the judiciary’s silence in this regard has become a sinister scandal.”

He added that President Aoun’s term had ended but his “shameful interventions” were sure to follow, especially in light of Judge Aoun’s actions.

Siniora stressed: “I will not defend myself against a frivolous, fabricated accusation.”

In 2019, Judge Aoun accused caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati of profiting from illegal gains against the backdrop of a subsidized loan scandal that was intended to allow Lebanese citizens to buy homes.

The accusation was also leveled against Mikati’s son and brother, as well as Bank Audi.

Aoun was subjected to disciplinary measures at the time by Oueidat, who requested Lebanon’s security services to stop referring cases to her.

In 2019, Aoun issued a decision to arrest Hoda Salloum, a director in the Road Traffic Department, on corruption charges. The accusations were also aimed at former MP Hadi Hobeich.

Backed by FPM supporters, Aoun stormed the offices of Mecattaf Holding Group to press charges relating to the transfer of funds abroad.

She has been removed from overseeing several prominent cases due to lawsuits, but in some cases refused to comply and continued working.

This year, Aoun accused BDL Gov. Salameh of job negligence and breach of trust.

 


Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank

Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank

Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank
  • The delegation led by the kingdom’s non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories, Nayef Al-Sudairi, arrived overland from Jordan
  • Sudairi is then due to meet Palestinian present Mahmud Abbas

Jericho: Saudi Arabia, which is in US-brokered talks with Israel to normalize relations, on Tuesday sent a delegation to the occupied West Bank for the first time in three decades.
The delegation led by the kingdom’s non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories, Nayef Al-Sudairi, arrived overland from Jordan, acting Jericho governor Yusra Sweiti said.
It is the first such Saudi delegation to travel to the West Bank since the landmark Oslo Accords were signed in 1993.
Sudairi, the Saudi envoy to Jordan, was last month appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories and consul general for Jerusalem.
He will be received by the top Palestinian diplomat, Riyad Al-Maliki, the foreign ministry in Ramallah said.
Sudairi is then due to meet Palestinian present Mahmud Abbas.
Sudairi’s visit to Ramallah comes as Washington has been leading talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia on a potential normalization of relations between the two countries, a move seen as a game-changer for the region.


Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM

Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM
Updated 26 September 2023
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Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM

Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM
  • Under US President Joe Biden’s administration, negotiations resumed with the objective of re-entering the agreement

DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Japan has proposed an initiative to resume negotiations to revive the nuclear deal that was signed in 2015 by Tehran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US.

According to Kyodo News, Abdollahian said any initiative from Japan that aligns with “Iran’s interests” would be viewed positively, adding: “We support the constructive role of Japan in reviving the nuclear deal.”

He told the Japanese news agency that he received a proposal from the Japanese government when he visited Tokyo last month and met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and former Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

Abdollahian said delays in the negotiations’ progress were caused by “excessive demands” by the US, Britain, France and Germany, as well as “interference” by other countries in Iran’s domestic issues, specifically with regard to protests over the death last year of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium, cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98 percent, and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years. It also agreed to enrich uranium only up to 3.67 percent for the next 15 years.

But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal, saying it did not address “Iran’s ballistic missile program and its proxy warfare in the region.”

Under US President Joe Biden’s administration, negotiations resumed with the objective of re-entering the agreement.

Most recently, on Sept. 20 Kishida and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met in New York to discuss security issues, bilateral relations and the nuclear deal.

Kishida said Japan has been consistent in its support of the deal and urged Iran to take constructive measures.


Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria

Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria
Updated 26 September 2023
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Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria

Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria
  • Save the Children is asking the court to bring the 11 women and 20 children from Al-Roj camp in Syria before the court in Australia

Sydney: More than 30 Australian women and children living in “appalling conditions” in a Syrian detention camp launched court action Tuesday to compel Canberra to bring them home.
Their case opened at the High Court in Melbourne, nearly a year after Australia repatriated the last group of four women and 13 children — the wives, sons and daughters of vanquished Daesh group fighters — from Syria.
“The situation of the remaining persons detained is stark and dire,” said Peter Morrissey, counsel for the charity Save the Children, which is acting on their behalf.
“Save the Children Australia represents women and children charged with no crime, detained in piteous and appalling conditions,” he told the court.
“Their health, safety, and dignity are seriously compromised by any standard. Their detention in the camps has endured for several years.”
Save the Children is asking the court for a writ of habeas corpus (or unlawful detention) requiring the government to bring the 11 women and 20 children from Al-Roj camp in Syria before the court in Australia.
“Despite countless opportunities to repatriate these families, the Australian government has ultimately failed in its duty to bring all of its citizens home to safety,” said Save the Children Australia chief executive Mat Tinkler.
“We desperately hope these children and their mothers will be imminently repatriated home to safety. It is unfathomable that the Australian government has abandoned its citizens,” he said in a statement.
Repatriations of Australian women and children from Syrian camps are a politically contentious issue in a country long known for its hard-line approach to immigration.
The Australian women and children have lived in the Al-Hol and Al-Roj detention camps in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria since the 2019 collapse of Daesh.


Lebanon forces arrest suspect over shooting at US embassy

Lebanon forces arrest suspect over shooting at US embassy
Updated 26 September 2023
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Lebanon forces arrest suspect over shooting at US embassy

Lebanon forces arrest suspect over shooting at US embassy

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s security forces on Monday said they had arrested a man suspected of firing 15 bullets at the American embassy building in Beirut last week.

A source named the suspect as 26-year-old Lebanon national Muhammad Mahdi Hussein Khalil, who works for a delivery company. The source added that Khalil had previously been convicted of opening fire on a Lebanese public security center.

According to the source, Khalil confessed to shooting at the embassy compound in the Aukar suburb of Beirut, and that the weapon used in the attack had been seized.

Surveillance cameras showed a lone man dressed in black firing a Kalashnikov rifle before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.

“The shooter carried out his act after previous disputes between him and embassy security over food deliveries,” the source told Arab News.

There were no injuries caused by the shooting late on Wednesday.


Israel says US to announce it has joined Visa Waiver Program

Israel says US to announce it has joined Visa Waiver Program
Updated 26 September 2023
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Israel says US to announce it has joined Visa Waiver Program

Israel says US to announce it has joined Visa Waiver Program
  • Some Palestinians have protested at Israel’s entry into the VWP, citing what they say are decades of discriminatory treatment of Arab Americans and harassment at Israel’s borders

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday it expects the United States to announce this week that it will be admitted to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which would allow Israeli citizens visa-free entry to America as of November.
The deadline for Israel to show compliance with the US conditions is Sept. 30. If successful, it would offer a win for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist government, whose relations with Washington have been strained over its plans to overhaul the judiciary as well as over its policies toward the Palestinians.
“Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program is a diplomatic achievement and good news for all Israeli citizens,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
A US State Department spokesperson said on Monday that a final decision on Israel’s candidacy had not been made.
“The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, will make a determination in the coming days,” the spokesperson said.
For admission to the program, Washington requires countries to treat all US travelers equally, regardless of whatever other passports they may hold. In Israel’s case, that would mean free passage for Palestinian Americans at its airports and when traveling into and out of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Some Palestinians have protested at Israel’s entry into the VWP, citing what they say are decades of discriminatory treatment of Arab Americans and harassment at Israel’s borders.
In a pilot period that has been running since July 20, Israel has loosened access for Palestinian Americans through its borders and in and out of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Between 45,000 and 60,000 Palestinian Americans live in the West Bank, a US official estimated. An Israeli official gave lower figures, saying that of 70,000 to 90,000 Palestinian Americans worldwide, 15,000 to 20,000 are West Bank residents.
There are currently 40 countries in the VWP. Countries are not added frequently, with Croatia being the latest to join in 2021.