Naharnet

Bassil's Lawyer Says Graft Lawsuit Part of 'Defamation Campaign'

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil’s lawyer Majed Boueiz on Friday described a graft lawsuit filed against the FPM leader as part of a “defamation campaign” targeting him.

“Some media outlets have published a report saying that a lawyer has filed a false lawsuit against minister Bassil over alleged and baseless offences,” Boueiz said.

“The false news cited in the lawsuit over a purported commission from the Qatari grant, as initially reported by ad-Diyar newspaper, had been the subject of a lawsuit filed by minister Bassil against the person who published the report,” the lawyer noted.

The journalist “confirmed before the judiciary that the report was false and signed a written acknowledgement in this regard,” the lawyer added.

Boueiz also pointed out that the allegations about suspicious deals in the electricity sector had also been the subject of lawsuits that resulted in the “conviction” of “those who circulated the rumors.”

“It is obvious that this lawsuit and other false lawsuits are part of the defamation campaign that is targeting minister Bassil for reasons that are clear to everyone,” the lawyer went on to say.

Bassil himself later tweeted about the issue and thanked the person who filed the lawsuit, while calling the claims "baseless and based on a fabricated article."

"This is a new chance to unveil the truth, defeat rumors and expose unjust accusations," Bassil added.

Source: Naharnet


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