Lebanon's Aoun Says Judiciary Role Essential in Combatting Corruption

Aoun met Tuesday with President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, and a number of members of the Council (NNA)
Aoun met Tuesday with President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, and a number of members of the Council (NNA)
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Lebanon's Aoun Says Judiciary Role Essential in Combatting Corruption

Aoun met Tuesday with President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, and a number of members of the Council (NNA)
Aoun met Tuesday with President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, and a number of members of the Council (NNA)

Lebanese President Michel Aoun called Tuesday for activating the work of the judiciary and following up on accusations against officials.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Socialist Party questioned those accusations finally made under the category of "illicit enrichment" and considered that Aoun's era "is a disaster for Lebanon."

On Tuesday, Aoun met with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, and a number of members of the Council to discuss the judicial situation and the work of the courts in Lebanon.

Aoun asserted the need to activate judicial work and expedite the consideration of pending cases before courts.

He called on the judiciary not to be affected by political and media campaigns that target some judges, especially since the judiciary’s role is essential in the fight against corruption and the prosecution of perpetrators.

“The judiciary is the last resort for citizens in search of justice, in order to achieve justice and preserve rights,” the President said.

Aoun’s words came at a time when media reports were published recently about corruption at various official levels, a development that the PSP saw as selective and as a result of pressure on the judiciary. On Tuesday, PSP MP Bilal Abdullah launched an attack on the President and the "Free Patriotic Movement", describing it as "the Orange Movement.”

Recent reports accused PSP-affiliated employees and ministers who headed the Ministry of the Displaced of corruption.

However, Abdullah said those accusations are merely an attempt to undermine his political team and were prepared by secret rooms at the Presidential Palace.

"We have no objection to accountability for any corrupt officials at any sector, including the Ministry of the Displaced,” he said.

The MP added: "We know that this file was a thorny file, a file related to the internal national reconciliation, and surely there were violations. We do not hide this issue, but we will not allow the malicious selectivity practiced by some current and former ministers to undermine the political team we represent, with our respect to the so-called fighting corruption issue.”

Abdullah pointed out that the Illicit Enrichment Law has not appointed a commission yet, asking: “Is it permissible to investigate the file of a person who died ten years ago? This selectivity has been exercised by pressure on the judiciary, and we know the secret room in the Republican Palace, who manages it, and how it selectively approaches."

He stressed that any accused, whether a PSP member or not, who proves to be corrupt, should be imprisoned.

Abdullah called for all files to be opened and hoped for the just judiciary, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Public Prosecutor to take the issue of corruption properly and accurately.

The department of cases at the Justice Ministry had filed a complaint with the Public Prosecution of the Cassation, against 17 employees of the Ministry of Displaced Persons for the crime of illicit enrichment. It is known that in the past years, the Ministry of the Displaced was mostly headed by a minister affiliated with the PSP.

Also on Tuesday, PSP MP Wael Abu Faour described President Aoun's era as a disaster for Lebanon. Abu Faour said in a television interview, "The objective evaluation of President Aoun's experience says that it was catastrophic for Lebanon and destroyed what was left of the national unity," considering that "Gebran Bassil is the secret of the president of the republic and cannot be separated from him."

He added that Aoun’s presidential era has particularly damaged Lebanon's international relations, saying that no Arab country is willing to back the country.



Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
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Netanyahu Meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas Discuss Ceasefire

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for White House talks on Monday, while Israeli officials held indirect negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

Netanyahu's visit follows Trump's prediction, on the eve of their meeting, that such an agreement could be reached this week. Before heading to Washington, the right-wing Israeli leader said his discussions with Trump could help advance negotiations under way in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian group.

It was Trump's third face-to-face encounter with Netanyahu since returning to office in January, and came just over two weeks after the president ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli air strikes. Trump then helped arrange a ceasefire in the 12-day Israel-Iran war.

Trump and his aides appeared to be trying to seize on any momentum created by the weakening of Iran, which backs Hamas, to push both sides for a breakthrough in the 21-month Gaza war.

He said he also wants to discuss with Netanyahu the prospects for a "permanent deal" with Iran, Israel's regional arch-foe.

The two leaders were scheduled to have a private dinner instead of formal talks in the Oval Office, where the president usually greets visiting dignitaries. It was not immediately clear why Trump was taking a lower-key approach with Netanyahu this time.

After arriving overnight in Washington, Netanyahu met earlier on Monday with Trump’s Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in preparation for his talks with the president. He planned to visit the US Capitol on Tuesday to see congressional leaders.

Ahead of the visit, Netanyahu told reporters he would thank Trump for the US air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and said Israeli negotiators were driving for a deal on Gaza in Doha, Qatar's capital.

Israeli officials also hope the outcome of the conflict with Iran will pave the way for normalization of relations with more of its neighbors such as Lebanon and Syria, another issue expected to be on the agenda with Trump.

SECOND DAY OF QATAR TALKS

Witkoff, who played a major role in crafting the 60-day ceasefire proposal at the center of the Qatar negotiations, will travel to Doha this week to join discussions there, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.

In a sign of continued gaps between the two sides, Palestinian sources said Israel's refusal to allow the free and safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains the main obstacle to progress in the indirect talks. Israel insists it is taking steps to get food into Gaza but seeks to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies.

On the second day of negotiations, mediators hosted one round and talks were expected to resume in the evening, the Palestinian sources told Reuters.

The US-backed proposal envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely.

Hamas has long demanded a final end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would not agree to halt fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled.

Trump told reporters last week that he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza deal and that the Israeli leader also wanted to end the war.

Some of Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners oppose halting military operations but, with Israelis having become increasingly weary of the Gaza war, his government is expected to back a ceasefire if he can secure acceptable terms.

A ceasefire at the start of this year collapsed in March, and talks to revive it have so far been fruitless. Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and sharply restricted food distribution.

Gazans were watching closely for any sign of a breakthrough. “I ask God almighty that the negotiating delegation or the mediators pressure with all their strength to solve this issue, because it has totally became unbearable,” said Abu Suleiman Qadoum, a displaced resident of Gaza city.

The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.

Trump has been strongly supportive of Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics last month by lashing out at prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges that Netanyahu denies.