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L'Orient-Le Jour
23-07-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Parliament lifts Bouchikian immunity, refers three ex-ministers to inquiry commission
BEIRUT — On Wednesday, Lebanon's parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of lifting the immunity of former Industry Minister Georges Bouchikian, who faces corruption allegations. It also referred three former telecommunications ministers accused of misusing public funds to a parliamentary inquiry commission. The case dates back to 2019, during nationwide protests against Lebanon's ruling class. Local media reported that 99 MPs backed the motion, while only MP Jamil al-Sayed abstained, citing his membership in the Supreme Council, a body appointed by Parliament with the authority to prosecute ministers and MPs, but which has never been activated. The move follows a request made on July 8 by Jamal Hajjar, the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassations, who sent a letter to Parliament's General Secretariat via Justice Minister Adel Nassar seeking the suspension of Bouchikian's immunity. The request is tied to accusations of embezzlement and forgery first made public in February. A week earlier, on July 1, Hajjar had questioned the former minister but refrained from taking further action because Bouchikian still enjoyed immunity during the extraordinary parliamentary session. Bouchikian, an MP who represents the Armenian Tachnag party in Zahle, is the second minister from Prime Minister Najib Mikati's 2021–2025 Cabinet to face corruption-related legal proceedings. Former Economy Minister Amine Salam is already in detention along with several officials in a separate bribery case. In a statement released Monday, Bouchikian confirmed that he "left Lebanese territory on July 7, 2025, as part of a personal and family trip planned for several months," adding that "at that time, no legal proceedings or official requests for the lifting of immunity had been issued against [him]." He expressed "full confidence in the sense of responsibility of the deputies and their commitment to upholding the Constitution and institutional guarantees," saying he believed the decision would be made "with discretion and impartiality, sheltered from media pressure or populist influence." 'Step by step' The MPs also voted to refer former telecommunications ministers Boutros Harb, Jamal Jarrah and Nicolas Sehnaoui to a parliamentary commission of inquiry after hearing their testimonies in the Assembly. The decision passed with 88 votes in favor, nine against and two abstentions. Following the vote, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri ordered the live broadcast of the session to be halted and moved the meeting behind closed doors, particularly to discuss the appointment of the commission members. Sehnaoui served as telecom minister from 2011 to 2014, Harb from 2014 to 2016, and Jarrah from 2016 to 2019. In November 2019, amid nationwide protests against government corruption, then-financial prosecutor Ali Ibrahim referred the three ministers to the Supreme Council. No further action was taken at the time. Commenting on the stalled proceedings, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said, "The law is complex, and we move forward step by step." Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil told MPs the three ministers were accused of decisions that led to "more than one billion dollars" in wasted public funds. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah, who has made anti-corruption efforts a central focus in recent years, reminded the session that he had repeatedly proposed abolishing the Supreme Council, arguing it serves as a shield for political figures. But Parliament, he noted, had never acted on the proposal. Meanwhile, Qabalan Qabalan, affiliated with the Amal Movement, insisted that any proceedings should remain under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council, "and not ordinary justice." The meeting was repeatedly disrupted by power outages and technical issues with the sound system, forcing a temporary suspension of the session.
L'Orient-Le Jour
14-07-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Samy Gemayel files complaint against Sheikh Faisal Shukur
BEIRUT — MP Samy Gemayel, leader of the Kataeb Party filed a legal complaint Monday against a Shiite cleric from the Bekaa Valley with close ties to Hezbollah, Faisal Shukur, who, about a week earlier, had delivered a speech threatening any official who called for the disarmament of the group. The Shukur's statement sparked controversy over the weekend after a video of the speech circulated online. The sheikh made the comments on July 6 during a ceremony marking the 10th day of Ashura. "To those inside the country who keep repeating the words 'disarmament,' we have two words for you: we will tear out your souls. Because everything can be the subject of joking, discussion or dialogue — except weapons," Shukur said. Gemayel, a vocal critic of Hezbollah, filed the complaint through his lawyer, Bachir Mourad, with the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassations. The complaint also targets any individuals identified by the investigation as perpetrators, accomplices, instigators or participants. According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the complaint denounces "death threats, incitement to violence and murder, stoking sectarian tensions, as well as endangering the security, sovereignty, unity or borders of the state." A copy of the video was submitted as evidence, along with a detailed list of relevant articles from the Penal Code, including Articles 574, 575, 317, 308, 329, 217 and 218, which relate to threats, incitement to violence and the provocation of sectarian tensions. Comments 'go beyond the scope of freedom of expression' According to the complaint, the remarks made by Shukur "go beyond the scope of freedom of expression." The excerpt from Shukur's speech drew widespread reactions online on Saturday. Journalist Rami Naim, who is close to the Lebanese Forces (LF), called for Shukur's arrest. "Hezbollah is a danger to Lebanon and its leaders have lost their minds after their defeat, act now before it's too late," he wrote on X. Mohammad Barakat, editor-in-chief of the news site Asas Media and also a known critic of Hezbollah, said Shukur's statement should be treated by the judiciary as "a threat to eliminate the entire Lebanese people, including the presidency and the government." By contrast, dozens of internet users supportive of Hezbollah praised the position taken by the Bekaa cleric. The controversy comes amid mounting pressure — both domestic and international — on Lebanese authorities to dismantle Hezbollah's weapons arsenal, an issue that continues to polarize the country's political landscape. Hezbollah has maintained that it will not give up its arms as long as Israeli forces continue their airstrikes, near-daily shelling, and occupation in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the United States is keeping steady political pressure on the Lebanese government, urging it to accelerate disarmament efforts led by the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) south of the Litani River. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who has repeatedly stressed the importance of the state's exclusive control over weapons, appears to be pursuing dialogue with Hezbollah — apparently in an effort to avoid a wider security fallout.
