UFL and the Depositors Cry: Judge Aoun, in a first decision, claims Moukattaf, and breaks the forbidden

UFL and the “Depositors Cry”: Judge Aoun, in a first decision, claims Moukattaf, and breaks the forbidden

The ball is now in the court of State Security and Judge Mansour

In a first decision, the Appeal Public Prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, Judge Ghada Aoun, broke the forbidden, adding a victory to her battle with the financial and banking corruption cartels. Today, on August 12, 2021, she issued her decision to prosecute Michel Moukattaf, Roni Abi Fadel, and Moukattaf Corporation S.A.L., and all those revealed by the investigation, and she also asked both Bar Associations for a permission to prosecute the lawyers Alexander Najjar and Ziad Esber, for the violations and abuses committed in the Moukattaf company concerning judicial procedures, especially the crime of resisting the authority, obstructing the work of the judiciary, breaking red wax and secret doors, etc... With a request to arrest Moukattaf in presence or in absentia. This step will be complemented by subsequent measures and allegations based on what Judge Aoun found in the financial aspect in terms of the technical experts report (Data), and it will affect Moukattaf and a number of those involved in the transfers file. The information shown in the reports of the experts, who revealed the content of a small part of the data, showed that the violations are countless, money laundering is definite and the amount of money is enormous. Then the investigation phase begins before the first investigative judge in Mount Lebanon, Judge Nicolas Mansour.

It is worth noting that Judge Aoun had issued a search and investigation report a while ago and informed the judicial police of the same to take action, but the maneuver of the Discriminatory Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oueidat, assigning the financial files to the Appeals Public Prosecutor, Judge Samer Lishaa, in order to recuse Judge Aoun from her duties, resulted in the withdrawal of judge Lishaa’s hand from the file permanently. With the return of Moukattaf’s file before Oweidat, the latter retracted his decision to recuse Judge Aoun and gave a signal to the judicial police to implement the decision and take action without any response by virtue of applying the effects of the police state to the Lebanese judiciary. Now the ball is back again with the judicial police, especially the state security apparatus that supports Judge Aoun. Therefore any inaction would be considered an insult to every Lebanese when an official apparatus leaves those responsible for impoverishing and starving people without any accountability.

 In the beginning of the practical procedures in the file of Moukattaf and its companions, it is important to the UFL Alliance and the “Depositors Cry” Association, to clarify that this result is the real response to everyone who considered that the work and striving to reveal the truth about the banks is just media talk and there is no data related to it, and to everyone who saw that the confrontation will not reach a place. Therefore there is no way for the Lebanese but to demand their rights through the judiciary, in the streets, and by word and deed. Nothing is impossible before the will to reform.

The UFL Alliance and the “Depositors cry” association, also believe that the role of Judge Mansour will be pivotal in the next stage after the claim of the Public Prosecution, which would join the direct complaint submitted by the Depositors Cry, and the UFL Alliance before him (revision No. 90/2021), which so far has been awaiting prosecution.

Accordingly, they affirm that the judicial police must, take the necessary measures to implement the decision from the moment it is issued, and not to get involved in politics to allowing the theft of people’s rights.

In the event that the reports they receive of searches, investigations and arrests are not implemented, the judicial police and the state security apparatus, headed by Major General Tony Saliba, will confront the people, and it will become clear who obstructs the recovery of the Lebanese people's money and prevents the implementation of justice.

In the context, the Alliance and the Depositors Cry association emphasized on their continued support to Judge Aoun’s decisions that lead to the arrest of all those involved in stealing people and wasting their money, and looking forward with hope to the rest of the decent judges who honor the truth, considering that follow-up and credibility are an essential step on the path to put a boundary to bank owners. And everyone is invited to be a part of this confrontation and stand by the rightness.