Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Judge Sami Sader on Wednesday indicted MP and former Minister of Industry Georges Bouchikian on charges of bribery and illicit enrichment, after his parliamentary immunity was lifted.
The indictment followed Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Judge Jamal Hajjar’s referral of the initial investigation file to Judge Sader.
Judge Hajjar had previously delayed taking action against Bouchikian, who is currently in Canada, at the request of his legal counsel, who informed the Prosecutor’s Office that Bouchikian was willing to return to Lebanon to appear before the judiciary. However, continued delays prompted the authorities to proceed with the indictment and launch legal proceedings.
On July 8, Judge Hajjar had requested that Bouchikian’s parliamentary immunity be lifted, on suspicion of “embezzlement, forgery, and extortion” during his term as Minister of Industry from 2021 to 2025.
On July 21, Parliament approved the lifting of the former minister’s immunity by a vote of 99 in favor, with only one abstention.
Bouchikian becomes the second minister in Najib Mikati’s 2021–2025 cabinet to face a corruption investigation, following former Minister Amin Salam, who is currently detained over a bribery case.
Bouchikian said he left Lebanon on July 7 for a long-planned personal and family trip at a time when no formal procedure or request for lifting his immunity had yet been filed. He expressed confidence in Parliament’s ability to make an impartial decision, free from media or populist pressure, and in line with the Constitution and state institutions.
Comments