Lebanon Legal Council Dismisses Judge Ghada Aoun

Judge Ghada Aoun. Reuters
Judge Ghada Aoun. Reuters
TT

Lebanon Legal Council Dismisses Judge Ghada Aoun

Judge Ghada Aoun. Reuters
Judge Ghada Aoun. Reuters

The Lebanese judiciary's disciplinary council on Thursday decided to remove from office one of the judges who has brought charges against the country's central bank governor and commercial banks.

A number of domestic and foreign probes have been launched against Lebanon's financial officials following decades of profligate spending and mismanagement.

Judge Ghada Aoun, who has investigated corruption by top Lebanese officials and the practices of the financial sector, told Reuters the disciplinary council accused her of bias.

"They are punishing me for doing my job," Aoun told reporters on Thursday after she left a hearing of the council, during which she was informed of its decision to dismiss her.

Aoun said the bias accusations were based on comments she had made about corrupt officials.

She said she had appealed the decision and could legally keep practicing until the appeal was decided.

A senior judicial source told Reuters that the council had voted unanimously to dismiss her after numerous complaints were filed against her over her investigations.

Earlier this year, Lebanon's prime minister and interior minister moved to restrict her probe into commercial banks, saying she was "overstepping authority" after she charged two banks with money laundering.

Aoun also charged central bank governor Riad Salameh last year with illicit enrichment, in a case related to wider corruption investigations in Lebanon and at least five European countries.

Salameh, who denies the accusations, was later charged by another Lebanese judge with illicit enrichment.



Arab Parliament Condemns Israeli Security Minister's Storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque

This picture shows a view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City on December 20, 2024. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
This picture shows a view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City on December 20, 2024. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
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Arab Parliament Condemns Israeli Security Minister's Storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque

This picture shows a view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City on December 20, 2024. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
This picture shows a view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City on December 20, 2024. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

The Arab Parliament has condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, describing it as provocative towards the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world.
In a statement on Thursday, the Arab Parliament said that the Israeli minister's action represents yet another breach in the continuing series of violations committed by Israel against the Palestinian people and the Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
It rejected any attempts to undermine the historical and legal status of the holy sites in occupied Jerusalem as null and void, emphasizing that these attempts constitute a blatant violation of international law and pertinent UN resolutions, further exacerbating escalation, tension, and instability in the region.
The Arab Parliament urged the international community and the UN Security Council to put an end to the ongoing violations and attacks perpetrated by Israel against the sacred sites in Jerusalem.