Banking sector file: Mikati calls for measures against Judge Aoun

In an apparent interference in the work of the judiciary that overthrows the principle of powers separation, Mikati asked the judicial authorities represented by the Justice Ministry, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Judicial Inspection Commission, and the Public Prosecution Office to take the necessary measures.

Mikati's letter, which he also sent to State Security, came after he received two letters from two banks requesting the head of the executive authority to instruct the judicial police in all its branches not to implement the decisions issued by judge Aoun in the file of smuggling nine billion dollars from banks after October 17 in 2019.

However, what happened is divided into two parts:

The first is that both banks asked the PM to intervene in the work of the judicial police to stop the investigation into their smuggling of deposits despite the banks' strike.

The second is that Mikati, who is supposed to urge the judiciary to carry out its duties, implemented the banks' orders to stop the judiciary's work in one of the most critical files that led to the acceleration of the collapse.

Furthermore, he did not hold the banks accountable for going on strike two weeks ago, harming depositors, and manipulating the exchange rate, openly declaring that he is a member of the "untouchable banking system," which he called in his letter "one of the components of the national economy."

Consequently, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi asked the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces and the General Directorate of General Security to adhere to the content of what was stated in Mikati's letter and not to implement any decision issued by Judge Aoun in any file that proves that a request to sue the state has been submitted.

However, Mawlawi's response enhanced Mikati's letter by slamming the judiciary's work and every judge who dares to confront banks.

Additionally, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai contacted the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, and Mikati to urge them to make a clear decision to stop Judge Aoun. The latter issued a decision Wednesday to seal the "server" of Bank of Beirut in Mansourieh with red wax "so that the data will not be manipulated," waiting for the bank's chairman, Salim Sfeir, to return to Lebanon.

But it quickly became clear that the "server" was located at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of Catholic Schools.

Aoun's decision drove the President of the Banks Association insane, as he tried in the past days to escalate and threaten without being able to stop the investigation.

So, he decided to pass through Mikati, while what Judge Aoun is doing is nothing but an application of the Banking Secrecy Law, whose amendments were approved by Parliament in the presence of the PM and ministers. 

Moreover, Al-Akhbar learned that the seal with red wax was essentially one of the suggestions of Sfeir's agent, lawyer Akram Azouri, as the judge was worried about modifying the data.

However, Judge Aoun appealed to the international authorities in the European Parliament to help defend the rule of law, indicating that "the PM is flagrantly interfering with justice to stop the investigations she conducted in the case of banks and money laundering."