Latest news with #AdelNassar
L'Orient-Le Jour
22-07-2025
- Business
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Generators and solar panels on agenda for two meetings at Interior Ministry
Two separate meetings, respectively dedicated to the regulation of private electric generators and solar panels, were organized Tuesday at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, according to an official statement. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar presided over both meetings. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat, and the representative of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Boutros Hadsheeti, took part in the first meeting. The second brought together the acting director general of Urbanism, Ali Ramadan, the acting director general of Common Administrative Affairs, Rasha Hourani, as well as relevant officers from the Internal Security Forces. No information was released about the outcomes of these meetings. Private generators, in principle illegal, have been tolerated for years, with Lebanese citizens relying heavily on them to compensate for the country's electricity production shortfall. Their rates are regulated by the Ministry of Energy and Water, but many of them do not comply with these rules. Meanwhile, individual solar panel installations have surged since the economic crisis started in 2019, a period during which the already limited capacities of Electricité du Liban (EDL) were almost wiped out, as the public supplier could no longer count on Central Bank advances to finance its fuel purchases. Many of these installations have been deployed haphazardly, posing risks to the safety of buildings and people nearby.
The National
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon seeks deal to send inmates of overcrowded prison to Syria
Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar says proposed treaty will not apply to those convicted of terrorism or murder.
The National
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon seeks deal to send overcrowded prison inmates to Syria
Lebanon is seeking a treaty that would see most Syrian prisoners serve the rest of their sentence in their homeland in a bid to ease severe overcrowding in Lebanese jails. At Lebanon's largest jail of Roumieh, authorities have also reopened a court – which had last been active during the Covid-19 pandemic – as they seek to speed up the judicial process for suspects from Lebanon, Syria or elsewhere. The idea of a treaty with Syria was formulated by Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who came into the position earlier this year in a new Lebanese government seeking to bring about reform in a country long plagued by institutional malaise. Mr Nassar has also pushed forward with a draft law for enhanced judicial independence in a country where courts have long suffered from political interference. It is part of a wider push for an overhaul of the judicial system that includes its digitisation. A raft of new judges has also been appointed. 'When the Prime Minister went to Syria I addressed this issue with him,' Mr Nassar said, referring to the April visit to Damascus by Nawaf Salam, himself a former judge who headed the International Court of Justice until the start of the year. 'He addressed this to the Syrian authorities regarding the possibility to enter in to a treaty that would allow Syrian detainees in Lebanon to continue their sentence in Syria,' Mr Nassar told The National from his office at the Justice Ministry in Beirut. 'But this would not apply to people who were condemned for terrorism or for killing Lebanese citizens and soldiers – or [other] major crimes. It would apply for the majority, which are people who are sentences for stealing, for fraud etc. Not for killing Lebanese citizens,' added the minister, a Harvard-educated lawyer. Lebanon's prisons are notorious for their overcrowding and cramped conditions, with a population hovering around 8,500. Last year, about 80 per cent of them were yet to have their case go to trial. About 2,000 Syrian detainees are believed to be housed in Lebanese jails. The Lebanese government estimates about 1.5 million Syrian Some of them, however, are held on terrorism charges for fighting against the Lebanese Army. In one case in 2014 in the border town of Arsal in the north-west reaches of Lebanon, fighters from ISIS and Jabhat Al Nusra – which included Syrian nationals – engaged in deadly clashes with the Lebanese Army for about a week. Mr Nassar has not had direct contact with his Syrian counterpart, but insists the conversations are continuing between authorities in Beirut and Damascus. Pressure on Lebanon Last week SyriaTV reported that authorities were seeking to pressure Lebanon through political and diplomatic measures to address the issue of Syrian detainees – although that report was later denied by the Ministry of Information in Damascus, which said it sought to address the issue through official channels. Nonetheless, a high-level Syrian delegation is expected in Beirut in the near future – with the prison situation expected to be on the agenda, even if the visit has not been officially confirmed. The treaty idea was floated by Mr Nassar, and awaits a response and action from the Syrian side. 'I hope that the Syrian authorities will follow up on that because we opened the door and we are willing co-operate with them,' Mr Nassar said. 'I welcome a visit from the Syrian minister of justice to discuss the possibility to sign a treaty in order to have the issue addressed.' Roumieh, an otherwise picturesque town overlooking Beirut, is home to by far the largest prison in Lebanon with about 3,400 detainees despite the buildings being built for 1,200. Raja Abi Nader, the judge that heads the prisons directorate at the Ministry of Justice, said the Roumieh courts were relaunched on June 3, with 500 detainees having their case heard. By reopening the courts in Roumieh, the logistical time for suspects for be transferred has been dramatically cut, authorities say. 'Syrians, like Lebanese detainees, are suffering from the fact that prisons are overcrowded,' Mr Nassar said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanon Ready for Syria Pact to Repatriate Non-Terror Convicts
Lebanon's Justice Minister Adel Nassar said Beirut had received no warnings from Damascus about potential retaliatory measures to push for the release of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons, dismissing any talk of escalation as unnecessary. 'There's no need for escalation. We're fully open to resolving this issue through direct dialogue and a formal treaty with the Syrian authorities, one that allows the transfer of Syrian convicts, except those sentenced for killing Lebanese soldiers or for terrorism charges,' Nassar told Asharq Al-Awsat. Nassar revealed that his ministry had already prepared a draft agreement aimed at moving the stalled file forward, stressing that resolving the issue is in Lebanon's interest as much as Syria's. 'This would ease the severe overcrowding in our prisons,' he said. 'We're determined to take every step in full compliance with Lebanese law and judicial procedures.' According to Nassar, some 1,700 Syrians are currently detained in Lebanon, including 389 with final verdicts. The rest are still on trial. 'Their treatment is identical to that of Lebanese inmates,' he added. 'We're holding court sessions directly at Roumieh prison to address logistical constraints, and there's also an intention to do the same for the military court.' Addressing the recent Cabinet appointment of Maher Shaito as financial public prosecutor, a move widely seen as a win for the minister after rejecting a nominee backed by the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, Nassar insisted the process was purely institutional. 'This was a victory for state institutions. I can't nominate someone I don't believe is qualified,' he said. 'After consulting senior judges and the head of the Higher Judicial Council, it was clear there was consensus around Shaito due to his credentials and track record.' He stressed that the appointment involved 'no deals or political bartering,' adding that while he found Judge Ziad Hamadeh unsuitable for that specific post, 'I never said he was unfit for another position.' Nassar described his meeting Saturday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri as 'positive,' saying Berri expressed support for the minister's efforts under the principle of judicial independence. On long-awaited judicial appointments, Nassar said the Judicial Council was working 'around the clock' and had promised to complete the file by the end of the month. 'Some 600 names are currently under consideration,' he noted. As Lebanon approaches the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, Nassar said he would not interfere with the timeline of investigative judge Tarek Bitar, who is handling the politically sensitive case. 'Judge Bitar is continuing his probe, and I'm offering full cooperation within the limits of my authority, especially when it comes to securing information from abroad,' he said. 'We won't allow any obstruction of his work.' Nassar said the timing of the indictment 'depends on whether he receives the answers to all his questions,' adding: 'There's no legal deadline obliging him to issue a ruling by a specific date.' Responding to reports that he and other ministers had objected to certain appointments during the last Cabinet session, Nassar confirmed his opposition to the newly named Banking Control Commission, saying ministers had not been briefed beforehand. He also voiced strong objection to linking the disarmament of Hezbollah to any other file. 'I told Cabinet and President Joseph Aoun that the issue of arms must not be conditional. I believe in the exclusive right of the state to bear arms - there can be no functioning state otherwise,' he said. Nassar added that Aoun had promised to refer any final document related to the ongoing US-mediated talks on the weapons issue back to the Cabinet for discussion.
LBCI
12-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Lebanon-Syria tensions rise as Damascus steps up pressure over detainee issue
Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Syria is considering escalating measures against Lebanon, starting with the suspension of certain security and economic channels and potentially leading to the closure of border crossings, according to sources cited by "Syria TV." However, Syria's Ministry of Information has denied any intention to take such steps against Lebanon, according to media reports. Regardless of whether the reports are accurate, they point to one clear issue: the Syrian presidency is reportedly displeased with what it views as the Lebanese authorities' delay in addressing the situation of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons. Justice Minister Adel Nassar told LBCI that Lebanon is open to establishing a treaty with Syria concerning Syrian detainees. However, he clarified that such an agreement would not include individuals convicted of terrorism, the killing of Lebanese soldiers or civilians, or rape. Nassar also expressed support for expediting trials—whether for Lebanese or Syrians—provided that legal procedures are followed. If Damascus does proceed with escalation, including closing the Lebanese-Syrian border, it will cut off land shipping routes between the two countries. Sources at the Economy Ministry said this would force Lebanon to rely on air freight to Iraq, Jordan, and Gulf countries at significantly higher costs that vary by destination. While Syria has not yet made an official decision to escalate, the messages conveyed—whether through the media or behind the scenes—reflect a tense atmosphere that could lead to concrete measures at any time.
