BEIRUT: Controversial Lebanese judge and Mount Lebanon state prosecutor Ghada Aoun carried out a second raid on a money exchange in northern Lebanon on Saturday in defiance of a senior judiciary decision dismissing her from an investigation into possible currency export breaches.
Aoun was accompanied by several activists from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) during the raid on the money exchange in the Awkar district in northern Lebanon.
Less than 24 hours earlier she raided the office with members of the security services.
Aoun remained in the money exchange for several hours on Friday in protest at her dismissal by the the discriminatory Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, a decision that caused widespread anger among the Lebanese public.
Saturday, 13 March, 2021 - 11:00
Lebanese Forces MP Georges Okais (Asharq Al-Awsat) Beirut - Youssef Diab
Judges are seeking to emigrate in search for a decent life, in the wake of the economic and financial crisis that hit Lebanon and led to the sharp devaluation of the local currency.
Member of the Lebanese Forces parliamentary bloc MP Georges Okais said that 40 young judges have submitted suspension of work applications, either for family and social reasons or to find opportunities abroad.
“The judiciary is losing its energy, which will worsen the slow pace of work,” he said.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a judicial source said that the number of judges, who have submitted the applications - which allow them to work outside the country for two years or more - exceeded by far the number announced by Okais.