Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi denied on Monday any personal conflict with the Director of the Internal Security Forces, Imad Othman. He also took the opportunity to clarify that his visit to the Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdellatif Deriane, “was previously scheduled for the middle of last week, without any connection with the circumstances that recently appeared in the media.”
This allusion refers to an alleged mediation by Mufti Deriane to resolve the dispute between Mawlawi and Othman. The Minister affirmed that the relationship between the two personalities “is governed by the Constitution and the Code of Regulation of the Security Forces.” He added, “We are working to protect security institutions.”
Mawlawi also assured Sheikh Deriane that he was determined to “protect all departments under the Ministry of the Interior from any corruption or dysfunction, to ensure that the rights of Lebanese citizens are respected.” Mawlawi also maintained that he “would not accept the return of a person who has committed acts of corruption in public administration.”
For his part, the Mufti insisted on “the need to strengthen collaboration between the various security institutions,” as reported by the Dar al-Fatwa press office. The Sheikh thus called for “greater coordination between the army and the Internal Security Forces, especially in these difficult times.” He stressed that “the security forces are the only ones that remain solid and united in the service of the country,” and that they should benefit from the support, guidance, and monitoring of the political authorities associated with them.”
