Lebanon indicts eight retired military figures over ‘illicit enrichment’
A Lebanese prosecutor on Wednesday indicted eight retired military figures including a former army chief over “illicit enrichment,” a judicial source said, in a first under a new anti-graft law.
Popular anger has grown in the past year over alleged corruption among the political elite in Lebanon, where a dire economic crisis has pushed the poverty rate up to more than half the population.
Since mass protests erupted in October 2019, the under-fire ruling class has repeatedly pledged to root out graft, and this year the parliament passed a new law to combat illicit enrichment.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
But critics have expressed little trust in a system they say is riddled with nepotism.
Those accused of graft on Wednesday included former army chief Jean Kahwaji, who held the post from 2008 to 2017, and several former military intelligence chiefs, the judicial source said.
The Beirut state prosecutor launched proceedings over their alleged “illicit enrichment, and using their official positions to reap vast wealth,” the source said.
A preliminary investigation showed a lack of correlation between their wealth and their income, the source said, adding that they would be questioned on December 10.
The official National News Agency said it was the first time such indictments were made since the law was passed.
It also made mention of a bank that several years ago had allegedly allowed Kahwaji and members of his family to deposit sums of up to $1.2 million in their accounts, without justification as to the origin of the funds.
Read more:
As Lebanon's central bank audit crumbles, the worst is yet to come
France's Macron: No aid given to Lebanon without a government capable of reform
Lebanon's President Aoun pledges to revive forensic audit of central bank
-
No movement on French Lebanon roadmap or C. Bank audit: French Presidency
France's presidency said on Wednesday that there would be no international financial support for Lebanon until there was a government in place and ... Middle East -
Killer of Lebanon’s Hariri, Hezbollah member Ayyash, to be sentenced on December 11
The killer of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri will be sentenced on December 11, the Netherlands-based tribunal that convicted him said on ... Middle East -
US State Department announces new military support for Saudi Arabia, Lebanon
The State Department announced Monday its decision to provide Saudi Arabia with an additional five years of technical assistance and advisory support ... Middle East