Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai said it was unacceptable to undermine the independence of the judiciary, calling for “the trial of all the corrupt who squandered public money,” instead of holding one party “accountable for the practices that took place over the past 30 years.”
Speaking during the Sunday Mass sermon, Rai said: “It is not acceptable to allow practices that undermine constitutional institutions, and it is unacceptable to overthrow the independence and integrity of the judiciary.”
He also said it was unacceptable for judges to lose their impartiality.
He added: “We support holding all corrupt people accountable.”
In this regard, he called on politicians to “stop fabricating news… and harming the reputation of Lebanon, the Lebanese currency, the central bank, the army, and the judiciary.”
Furthermore, the patriarch stressed the importance of holding the parliamentary elections on time, saying: “Let the deputies remember that they are entrusted by the Lebanese and they are not entitled to renew their mandate without the permission of the people.”
The elections are set for May.
His remarks came following a decision by a Lebanese judge on Tuesday to issue a subpoena for central bank governor Riad Salameh after he failed to show up for interrogation sessions as part of her probe into alleged misconduct initiated after Lebanon’s 2019 financial meltdown.
Judge Ghada Aoun confirmed to Reuters that she issued the subpoena after Salameh missed three separate sessions and said she had circulated the order to security agencies.
Salameh had previously denied any wrongdoing and characterized investigations against him in Lebanon and abroad as politically motivated.
