Lebanese prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat and Lebanese judge Ghada Aoun. Courtesy NNA
Lebanese prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat and Lebanese judge Ghada Aoun. Courtesy NNA
Lebanese prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat and Lebanese judge Ghada Aoun. Courtesy NNA
Lebanese prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat and Lebanese judge Ghada Aoun. Courtesy NNA

How a feud between rival judges symbolises Lebanon's fractious politics


Sunniva Rose
  • English
  • Arabic

Tensions between two high-profile public officials escalated to a bitter public row in Lebanon in the past week.

The rivalry between judge Ghada Aoun and the country's top prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat mirrors an ongoing dispute between two of the country's main political parties.

The judiciary is showing that it is incapable of fighting corruption

Ms Aoun, who is the chief prosecutor for the region of Mount Lebanon, has been at the forefront of an anti-corruption campaign since Lebanon's economic meltdown started in late 2019.

On her Facebook page, she compares herself to Italian judge Antonio Di Pietro, who became famous for investigating political corruption three decades ago.

Mr Oueidat has repeatedly stalled her investigations, as well as other inquiries into Lebanon’s crumbling financial sector, despite protests and public requests for accountability after banks implemented unofficial capital controls in November 2019.

The financial crisis has been blamed for soaring inflation and rising poverty in the country.

Meanwhile, top bankers have hinted at politicians pressuring them to discreetly funnel millions out of the country. This is not illegal because Parliament never implemented a capital control law. But most Lebanese view it as immoral.

Politicians also publicly agree that corruption is one of the main causes for the country’s economic collapse.

When facing prosecution however, many politicians take advantage of a reputation of Lebanese judges for being politicised to claim victimhood.

“This becomes the main source of impunity,” said Nizar Saghieh, the founder of local watchdog Legal Agenda.

Factionalism  

Despite the worsening financial crisis, President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri have focused their energy for the past six months on fighting over how to allocate ministerial posts within the future Cabinet.

Mr Aoun has repeatedly attacked Mr Hariri's allies, calling for an investigation into the powerful central bank governor Riad Salameh, who has obstructed an international audit.

Ms Aoun has also focused her efforts on Mr Salameh and the banking sector, drawing criticism from Mr Hariri’s allies who accuse her of cherry picking legal cases and ignoring those that involve the president’s relatives.

Lebanese judges largely owe their nominations to politicians. They share power on a sectarian basis, a system that slows down decision making and encourages corruption.

Ms Aoun, a Maronite Christian, was appointed by presidential decree in 2017 and is reportedly close to President Aoun. They are not related.

Mr Oueidat, a Sunni Muslim, was appointed by a government decree late 2019, weeks before Mr Hariri resigned as prime minister in the face of nationwide protests.

Ms Aoun has clashed previously with Mr Oueidat, who stopped her from investigating sources of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati's wealth.

But Ms Aoun publicly defied Lebanon's top judge after he removed her on Thursday from investigating "important financial crimes".

On Friday and Saturday, Ms Aoun raided the office of Mecattaf Group, situated in a north-eastern suburb of Beirut.

This came a few days after a group of activists called "the scream of depositors" filed a lawsuit against Mr Salameh, his top aides and exchange offices including the Mecattaf group, accusing them of money laundering and illicit enrichment.

The Mecattaf Group ships banknotes and gold bars to and from Lebanon. One of its general managers, Michel Mecattaf, told local television MTV that he was “surprised by the presence of Judge Ghada Aoun” and denied any wrongdoing.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Mecattaf's office on Saturday afternoon while Ms Aoun was inside. Local media filmed her entering the building early afternoon in the company of men wearing uniforms of State Security, the only Lebanese security agency that reports directly to Mr Aoun.

MTV reported clashes later that evening when Ms Aoun exited the building.

Ms Aoun's actions captivated the Lebanese, with the hashtag "we are all Ghada Aoun" trending on Twitter on Saturday.

"We are here to support judge Ghada Aoun in her mission," said marketing professional Rolla Abboud, 39, a member of President Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement who was part of the crowd that had gathered outside the Mecattaf office. "We want the truth."

Other protesters said they were not politically affiliated.

Rami Ollaik, a lawyer who represents "the scream of depositors" denied that the case was politicised. "We're just concerned about the rights of the people," he told The National.

Mr Ollaik said that Mr Mecattaf had handed over the required documents to Ms Aoun by Saturday evening and that the investigation was ongoing.

The root of the problem 

Both Mr Oueidat and Ms Aoun may have ulterior political motivations, but the former’s decision to remove the latter from her investigation is illegal, said Mr Saghieh.

“High level judges might have relations with political leaders, but this does not mean that they do not have a case. This does not mean that we must not fight for accountability from bankers,” said Mr Saghieh.

The solution is to campaign for the independence of the judiciary, said Mr Saghieh.

Legal Agenda has worked on a draft law that has been examined by parliament for over a year and has yet to be voted on.

“We cannot live in total impunity while we wait. This is absurd,” said Mr Saghieh.

Caretaker Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najem called an emergency meeting on Saturday with Mr Oueidat and the heads of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Judicial Inspection Authority.

"The judiciary is showing that it is incapable of fighting corruption and fights media battles" instead, she said.

“People have lost confidence in it.”

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Rain Management

Year started: 2017

Based: Bahrain

Employees: 100-120

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Ian McEwan 
 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
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  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Indoor Cricket World Cup

When: September 16-23

Where: Insportz, Dubai

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

While you're here
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

ENGLAND SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope 
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold 
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph 
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck