The Judge Ghada Aoun saga has been defined by rage and resentment. There has been no tranquility. In one scene, surrounded by giants from “State Security” armed with guns made for world wars, she kicked down the door of an office. Judge Aoun went beyond her jurisdiction, accompanied by her group of giants, raiding suspects’ offices, including that of the Central Bank Governor, who had fled to another location.
The highest-ranking judges and authorities in the country tried to compel Judge Aoun to limit herself to her jurisdiction, but she went against all of their orders. Her war was against corruption and corrupt individuals. At those who pushed the idea that she has benefited from nepotism, Judge Aoun hit back that she had not met President Michel Aoun before he awarded her the Medal of Honor for Justice and Honor.
One prominent feature of this saga has been how Judge Aoun’s voice becomes sharp and high-pitched when she is angry or outraged. She would grow increasingly angry during the discussion, becoming so outraged that no one could understand what she was saying. The drama peaked (both auditory and visually) when the Supreme Judicial Council announced last Thursday that she had been dismissed from service, turning her into a former public servant in an instant. The scene erupted in screaming, speeches, and explosions.
Many expressed sympathy for the “disbarred judge” as she defended her 40 years of service in the judiciary. She went from being the strongest figure in the judiciary to a weak plaintiff after the president whom she had relied on, as well as receiving a medal of honor from him during his time and office and a Tweet after he was gone.
Stringency in applying the law is not Ghada Aoun’s problem. That is a demand the Lebanese people make day and night. Her implementation was the problem. The scenes of chaos and kicking down doors gave the public the impression that the woman was only a judge by name. Indeed, she only summoned political rivals and defied the judiciary.
Mrs. Aoun demonstrated just how tragic it is for the Lebanese that she lost her position by calling the Lebanese people “messy” in the Palace of Justice. Is it tenable for a judge to lose her temper or always seem to be losing her temper? No. Losing one’s temper goes against everything required by the job. Storming offices and kicking doors down suggests that the accused have already been found guilty, which is a total violation of the first principle of the law.
No one expected or hoped that Judge Aoun would meet this humiliating end. It is unfortunate the image she presented of herself and the judiciary, which unanimously decided to remove her, underlining the extent it was frustrated by her dramatic displays of outrage and, even more so, her disdain for the judiciary, which she had thought she could get away with because of her surname.
The judiciary deviated and then corrected its course. Today, the Lebanese judiciary is in dire need of an improved image. The law should be implemented through legal means, not by breaking and entering.
