No Signs of Any Breakthrough in Governmental Crisis

There are “no positive indications” regarding any breakthrough in the governmental crisis, and “everything that has been said in this regard is nothing more than hypotheses that are not based on serious foundations,” political officials said.

“The governmental situation is still besieged by the same obstacles that have prevented Cabinet from convening, whether as to the judicial investigation into the Beirut port file and the fate of investigative judge Tarek Bitar, or as to the major obstacle that emerged with the Saudi-Gulf boycott of Lebanon over Minister George Kordahi’s statements,” the officials told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Saturday.

The officials also noted that “the latest judicial stance, reflected in the Court of Cassation’s dismissal of the lawsuits against the state, might further complicate things,” calling for “awaiting the developments of the coming days.”

The officials also pointed out that there are two possible solutions for the judicial-governmental crisis, with the first calling for the Justice Minister to take a certain measure against the investigative judge, seeing as Bitar was named through a resolution from the Justice Minister.

“Therefore, the official who has the jurisdiction to take the appointment decision also has the jurisdiction to alter this decision if he finds in the appointment decision a deviation or objective reasons for having suspicions over the appointed investigative judge,” the officials added.

This proposal, however, is running into “a governmental stance that says that it is unacceptable to interfere in the judicial authority’s affairs,” the officials said, revealing that President Michel Aoun “strongly supports this orientation.”

The second solution would see a partitioning of the investigation file, with parliament holding a session to refer the accused ex-PM and former ministers to the Higher Council for Trial of Presidents and Ministers, the officials added.