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Wednesday 23 July 2025 14:16:41
The Lebanese Parliament on Wednesday voted to refer three former telecommunications ministers to a parliamentary investigative committee, as part of a rare move toward potential accountability in a sector long plagued by allegations of mismanagement and corruption.
The vote, passed by a majority of 88 MPs, targets former ministers Boutros Harb, Nicolas Sehnaoui, and Jamal Jarrah. All three served in successive governments over the past two decades and were summoned to Parliament to defend themselves before the vote was held.
The session came after Financial Prosecutor Judge Jamal Hajjar submitted formal accusations of embezzlement, document forgery, and abuse of public office, specifically relating to building leases, illegal expenditures, and allegations of improper financial gains.
According to information obtained by Kataeb.org, the parliamentary investigative committee tasked with probing the case of former Telecommunications Ministers will be composed of the following MPs: Elias Bou Saab, Ghada Ayoub, and Ibrahim Mousawi, with three alternate members: Farid Al-Boustani, Bilal Abdallah, and Yassine Yassine.
MP Jihad al-Samad, who presented the case during the session, laid out what he described as clear violations within the telecom ministry.
“My responsibility before my conscience, God, and history is enormous. Fighting corruption is the shortest route to preserving public funds,” he said.
“We must apply the law and hold accountable anyone who has committed wrongdoing. The Constitution demands equality among citizens without discrimination based on social or political status.”
Al-Samad called on his colleagues to refer the three ministers to the Supreme Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers, stating: “I believe this Parliament will uphold the principle of equality.”
Former minister Boutros Harb delivered a passionate defense, asserting he has never violated the law.
“I stand here as the accused, even though I have always defended the law,” Harb told Parliament.
“I’m proud to say I never violated the law or squandered public money. On the contrary, I safeguarded it. My conscience is clear.”
Harb said he was the first MP and minister in Lebanon to submit a full asset declaration in compliance with the country’s illicit enrichment law. He argued that he had personally acted to stop financial waste during his time in office, particularly in relation to a controversial lease agreement for the Kasabian building.
“I terminated the lease after receiving reports that the building was structurally unsound for telecom equipment,” he said.
“The real financial abuse would have been in continuing the lease.”
Harb also addressed spending on cultural and sports-related activities, saying those initiatives contributed to Lebanon’s public image and were within his constitutional powers.
“I’ve never committed a single violation in my life,” he said. “I support forming an investigative committee and am fully prepared to cooperate.”
MP Nicolas Sehnaoui also spoke in his own defense, supported by his lawyer Naoum Farah.
Sehnaoui said the decision to lease the Kasabian building was based on recommendations from international telecom firm Zain, which deemed the premises optimal for its operations.
“They presented the contract, and I personally negotiated the rent down,” Sehnaoui said.
“If an international firm certified the building, how was I to know otherwise?”
His attorney called on Parliament to postpone any referral to the committee, stating that the evidence did not justify such a move.
Jamal Jarrah’s attorney, Stephanie Nawfal, said the charges filed by the Financial Prosecutor lacked merit and due process.
“My client is subject to the law, and the prosecutor’s complaint is unfounded,” Noufal said.
“He voluntarily lifted banking secrecy on his and his family’s accounts and is fully prepared to defend himself.”
Jarrah criticized the manner in which the accusations surfaced.
“The prosecutor didn’t request a single document or piece of evidence from us,” he said.
“We only learned of the charges through the media after leaving his office.”
Jarrah also addressed issues related to the Touch building, stating it had visible structural flaws. On allegations of excessive overtime payments to telecom official Abdel-Moneim Youssef, he said:
“He deserved it; we were working until midnight.”
