Report: Formal Request to Prosecute Ministry Employees in Illegal Internet File
The Financial General Prosecutor sent Thursday afternoon a request related to the illegal internet file to Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb asking for permission to pursuit some of the employees at his ministry, particularly OGERO employees, after the minister objected to the form addressed earlier, al-Joumhouria daily quoted prominent judicial sources on Friday.
During a parliamentary media committee meeting on Thursday, Harb noted that the request to prosecute some of the staff at his ministry did not respect the norms nor did it include the necessary investigations on which he can build his decision upon.
Nevertheless, he expressed willingness to help in the prosecution of any employee found to be involved.
The judicial sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The investigations in the case are based on clear and identical confessions. There are many facts which called for the prosecution of employees, including managers in order to build the investigations.”
The Financial General Prosecution had requested that the Telecommunications Ministry prosecute OGERO telecommunication company chief Abdul Moneim Youssef as a suspect in the case.
Youssef however is in Paris where he underwent heart surgery and has been ordered by his doctor to rest, said the minister.
Harb revealed last month that around four illegal internet stations have been proven to exist in the mountainous terrains of al-Dinnieh, Ayoun al-Siman, Faqra and Zaarour.
Suspects involved in the case and believed to be associated with the state-owned OGERO were arrested over possible links to the networks.
Early in March, the parliamentary media committee unveiled what it described as a “mafia” that are taking advantage of internet services by installing internet stations that are not subject to the state control.
The owners of these stations are buying international internet bandwidth with nominal cost from Turkey and Cyprus which they are selling back to Lebanese subscribers at reduced prices.
D.A.
M.T.
Source: Naharnet
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