A dispute between Lebanon’s judiciary and Justice Minister Selim Jreissati reached unprecedented levels after a number of judges began a walkout this week to protest a possible reduction in salaries and benefits.
The differences between the judges and Jreissati worsened when the minister sent a memo asking the Judicial Council to warn judges from the repercussions of their decision.
“The decision of some judges to interrupt their works holds several meanings, mainly the disruption of relations between the Lebanese Judiciary and the Higher Judicial Council,” Jreissati wrote in his letter.
His position drove a quick response from the Council, which announced that a Justice Minister does not have the right to send memos to Judges.
A copy of the Council’s statement received by Asharq Al-Awsat said: “Based on the sovereignty of the judicial authority, the higher Judicial Council is not considered an executive body of the Justice Minister’s decisions.”
The statement added that currently, judges feel threatened, not only at the financial level, but also at the level of their personal pride.
Judicial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that the minister did not have the authority to dominate the judiciary in Lebanon.
“The minister’s last memo to the Higher Judicial Council enraged judges,” the sources said, adding that the problem is not between the Council and judges, but between the Judiciary and the political authority.
“We absolutely reject that a Justice Minister addresses the judicial authority by giving orders and recommendations,” the sources said.
Last Monday, Lebanon's judges held a two-day strike in protest of a decision to decrease the budget of the Justice Ministry and therefore, limit their benefits and dry out sources of the solidarity fund, which provides judges a benefit of less than one month’s salary every three months, in addition to family medical and education benefits.
