Members of the European judicial delegation investigating money laundering and tax evasion related to the Governor of the Banque du Liban and directors of Lebanese banks are arriving in Lebanon successively.
Next Wednesday, the first meeting will be held between the Public Prosecutor, Ghassan Oweidat, and the German delegation, while it was agreed in advance on how to organize the investigations.
The number of persons being investigated is 12—only one is a suspect, while 11 are witnesses.
As for the Governor of Banque du Liban, whose name was mentioned in a previous judicial assistance request, he is not among those being investigated in the current round of investigations based on a different judicial assistance request.
The hearings, which will be moderated on the Lebanese side by public prosecutors Mirna Kallas, Sabouh Suleiman, and Imad Qablan, will extend from December 12 to December 20, according to the Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oweidat, in the hall of the General Authority of the Court of Cassation.
Oweidat says that Lebanon is obligated, according to the anti-corruption treaty, which it signed in 2008, to answer judicial assistance requests, provide information, and allow any country signatory to the treaty to review investigations within the framework of judicial cooperation.
According to judicial sources, none of those who are intended to be heard will refuse to attend. Absenteeism is not in their interest, bearing in mind that countries can take measures against any of them, but in those countries and not in Lebanon.
The Minister of Justice will announce Lebanon's official position on the delegation's visit at a conference on Wednesday. At the same time, the sources indicate that the Ministry of Justice supports any judicial cooperation in accordance with treaties.
After the conclusion of the delegation's visit, members will hold an evaluation meeting with the judges of the Public Prosecution Office at the Court of Cassation, after which the subsequent steps for the delegation's return to Lebanon will be determined, as a list of new interrogations may be put on its agenda.
Within the framework of the delegation's visit, judicial sources confirmed that the French investigating judge in the port crime had requested a meeting with the Public Defender, Sabouh Suleiman, in charge of the Beirut Port case, on the 23rd of this month, to follow up on the implementation of the assistance requests sent to the Lebanese judiciary.
This meeting is supposed to take place on January 17, and here the sources indicate that the limits of the meeting will be the answer to the fate of the assistance request, noting that France has opened an investigation into the explosion due to the occurrence of French casualties.
Also, in the information provided to LBCI, if the French judge requests a meeting with Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, the latter is ready for this meeting. Judicial sources indicate an imminent return of al-Bitar to the port investigations, which may coincide with the visit of the European judicial delegation.