Lawyers Bashir Aazan, Charles Assaad, and Jocelyne Karam filed an official report with the Court of Cassation against the NGO Kulluna Irada and its associates, accusing them of conducting a political campaign aimed at undermining the national economy.
According to the case file submitted to Attorney General Jamal Hajjar at the Court of Cassation, the association, which was initially authorized to operate in the agricultural, industrial, artisanal, and energy sectors, allegedly shifted toward political activity, jeopardizing the national economy, undermining confidence in Lebanese financial markets, and causing depositors to lose their money.
The lawyers conclude that "the actions of Kulluna Irada fall under Articles 296, 297, 316, and 319 of the Penal Code." They call on the relevant judicial authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the association’s members and all accomplices, to trace their sources of funding and take the necessary legal measures.
According to the plaintiffs, Kulluna Irada has been actively undermining confidence in Lebanon’s economy since 2021 through social media and the press. The NGO is accused of spreading false claims about bank failures and urging citizens to withdraw their deposits urgently, allegedly to trigger panic and destabilize the financial sector. The lawyers also contend that the organization pressured the government to halt Eurobond payments, a move they argue accelerated the depreciation of the national currency.
The case file also reveals that the association allegedly used covert funding, amounting to tens of millions of dollars, to fuel a smear campaign against the banking system instead of investing in the sectors for which it was originally licensed. The lack of transparency regarding its members' identities and the allocation of funds further raises suspicions about its activities, which the plaintiffs liken to those of "secret organizations."
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