Judge Ghada Aoun submitted a travel request to Caretaker Minister of Justice Henri Khoury. After receiving it, she left for Brussels last week.
Khoury's permission for the judge was similar to the hundreds of permits granted to other judges. Still, the surprise was that her visit included participation in a conference at the invitation of the European Parliament, which is considered a violation of the minister's memorandum issued in March, banning any judge from appearing in the media or participating in any conference without prior permission from the Minister of Justice.
While Judge Aoun's participation in a conference outside the country, which she herself did not deny, reflects a clear violation of the minister's decision, many question marks are also raised about the conference organizers.
Information has surfaced that Lukas Mandl, the head of the European-Israeli Relations Committee and a friend of political activist Omar Harfouch, is behind the conference.
In a tweet, Judge Aoun said, "Contrary to lies, this is the official page of the European Parliament member Lukas Mandl. Therefore, he does not chair the committee on relations with Israel but is a foreign relations committee member."
Whatever happens in Brussels, the repercussions will appear in Beirut.
Are there any political factors that might prevent Minister Khoury from referring Judge Aoun to judicial inspection? It is still unknown what the minister will decide. Still, it is known that if she is referred to judicial inspection, the investigations will be conducted in complete secrecy. His choice will be unexpected and final.