When will the Supreme Judicial Council meet?

Following the decisions of the Public Prosecutor of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, the two representatives, Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter, filed a joint lawsuit against Bitar, citing "legitimate suspicion."

Moreover, MP Khalil filed two lawsuits against judge Bitar, one before the Criminal Court of Cassation, and another before the Judicial Inspection Commission, on charges of "usurping power, breaching of job duties, violating judicial decisions, provoking sectarian and racist strife, and many others." 

Attention is still being paid to the Supreme Judicial Council's capacity to resolve the judicial crisis due to the reactions in the Justice Palace and on the streets.

The latest developments were Bitar's request to relocate to the Justice Palace of Jdeidet El-Matn, claiming that it would be a "safe area" where he would not be in danger, amid the sectarian tensions raised by those interested in this file which made it more complicated and dangerous.

However, Al-Akhbar learned that the Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, asked Bitar to stay at his house and not come to the Justice Palaces in Beirut and Jdeidet El-Matn, for fear of being arrested by the state security apparatus on the pretext of bringing him to investigation before the Public Prosecutor.

In this context, France confirmed that it is Bitar's second country and that his family can travel whenever they want, and everything will be secured for them, including housing, education, and so on.

However, judicial sources considered that the "real test" would be in the Supreme Judicial Council, whose Head, Judge Souheil Abboud, still refuses to hold a session to discuss recent developments to protect Bitar.

The same sources also revealed that "Abboud tried, during Monday's discussions with members of the Council, to put Bitar in the same box with Oweidat, given that they both made a mistake and Oweidat could not attend the session."

Thus, a significant division among the members of the Council developed in a sectarian dimension.

The Christian members have become more unwilling to attend, especially after Bkerki's cover for Bitar. But the dates of interrogation sessions set by Bitar for the defendants are still the same.

The same judicial sources expressed concern that the judicial investigator would profit from the return of the European judicial delegations whose attendance will coincide with the session dates to attend the Justice Palace, pushing the situation to erupt again.