On Sunday morning, the Public Prosecutor at the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal, Ghada Aoun, had the nerve to tweet the following on her X account: "This country does not deserve justice; it deserves a mafia regime that controls all its resources. [...] The fight against corruption no longer makes sense. At least I leave with a clear conscience. Congratulations on this corrupt system!"
This tweet came just days after she was removed from all the cases she was handling by Acting Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Judge Jamal Hajjar, following her dismissal from office. Ghada Aoun had been sanctioned in May 2023 by the Judicial Disciplinary Council for conduct in violation of professional ethics. Nevertheless, the judge once again chose not to comply with the ruling against her, going so far as accusing the prosecutor of "usurping" his position.
It seems Ms. Aoun suffers from selective amnesia. Her conduct in recent years is unprecedented in the history of the Lebanese judicial system. Aoun committed repeated and flagrant violations. Strongly backed by the political support of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), she disregarded all judicial procedures initiated against her to curb behavior that was primarily detrimental to the judiciary, and the country as a whole. She openly denigrated her superiors on social media, which she used to boost her campaigns at the expense of basic principles of justice. She refused to appear before the Disciplinary Council and to acknowledge the numerous complaints filed against her. She discredited those within the judiciary who opposed her conduct, portraying the Lebanese justice system as a divided and weak institution, undermined by political manipulation.
An expert in "double standards," the "judge of the old guard and the chaotic mandate" is none other than the very same judge of the corrupt, mafia-like, and abusive system she now criticizes! What exactly are her achievements besides launching witch hunts and abusing power? Wasn't she proud of her allegiance to the FPM, fighting tooth and nail to advance the agenda of the Aounist party (whose leader is heavily sanctioned by the US for corruption!), regardless of the potential consequences for the country? If this is what she means by having a "clear conscience," as she claimed in her tweet, did she really need to commit a crime in order to test that so-called conscience? This remains debatable, as she was – unequivocally – the executioner of the late Michel Mecattaf, and undeniably the one who caused his death.
In fact, from the case regarding Michel Mecattaf's company to the dossier concerning Lebanese banks, the magistrate – although the title does not fit her – engaged in numerous excesses and unleashed tirades on social media – actions prohibited by law. She also repeatedly disregarded decisions made by her former hierarchical superior, Public Prosecutor of the Republic Ghassan Oueidate. The latter had decided to remove her from financial cases after she initiated lawsuits in spring 2021 against Michel Mecattaf and his company, falsely accusing them of illegally (according to her) transferring funds abroad at the end of 2019 – despite the legality of the company's activities, which complied with local and international monetary rules and regulations. Furthermore, she seized documents and computers from the company and entrusted them to a reputed "praying mantis" known to be close to Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Furthermore, Ghada Aoun had unremorsefully turned a blind eye to the development of Hezbollah's financial institution, al-Qard al-Hassan, with its opaque sources of funding, under various unconvincing pretexts, consistently diverting attention away from the Lebanese banking sector, which is governed by law and legal codes. Thus, Ms. Aoun would rather see the country succumb to the dictates of a pro-Iranian militia, instead of advocating for legitimate and lawful Lebanese banking institutions.
The moral of the story: Ghada Aoun has – fortunately – failed to destroy two fundamental sectors of the country: the judiciary and the banking sector. Nevertheless, she will forever be notorious for her ludicrous prosecutions, conduct unworthy of her position, and neurotic tweets. Dear Ghada Aoun, it's now our turn to congratulate you!
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