07-08-2025
Director of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Authority dismissed from office
The director general of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Authority, Jean Gebran, was dismissed from his position by the government and placed at the disposal of the Minister of Energy and Water, Joe Saddi, the latter told L'Orient-Le Jour on Wednesday.
"Gebran's term ended in 2021. Since then, he had been handling day-to-day management," Saddi explained, pointing out that the board of directors' term at the institution had also expired. "Unfortunately, this kind of situation is common in the administration."
When asked about immediate measures, the minister stated that "the most senior official in the hierarchy will serve as interim head of the office." He also announced his intention to soon submit to the Administrative Development Ministry and the Civil Service the list of required qualifications for the role, so that a call for applications may be launched "as soon as possible." He also expressed the wish to see a new board of directors appointed as soon as possible.
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, Gebran did not respond.
In recent years, the Lebanese public administration has suffered from repeated political crises, the presidential vacancy, which lasted from October 2022 to January 2025, and the economic collapse, which, due to the sharp depreciation of the national currency, has greatly eroded salaries in the public sector.
