Cabinet Set to Tackle Appointments, Tbayeli to Succeed Basbous as ISF Chief

A cabinet session set to be held on Monday at the Baabda Palace will discuss a heated agenda concerning the appointments of top civil servants, local newspapers reported.

According to al-Joumhouria newspaper, the cabinet will approve the appointment of Beirut Police Chief Brig. Deeb Tbayeli, who was recently promoted to the rank of Maj. Gen, as the successor of Internal Security Forces acting chief Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous to grant him more years at the force ahead of his retirement on April 10.

The newspaper also said that Brig. Antoine Bustani will be appointed as an inspector general at ISF after he has been filling the post as an acting chief.

However, An Nahar newspaper reported that the cabinet will appoint Basbous as the head of the ISF, after he has been filling the post of ISF chief after Brig. Gen. Roger Salem's retirement as an acting chief.

Salem took over the post of former ISF Chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi after his retirement in March 2013, who was succeeded in turn by Brigadier General Ibrahim Basbous.

In its first session after the parliament's vote of confidence, the cabinet postponed tackling the controversial issue of changing the ISF Intelligence Bureau into an independent branch and the extension of the tenure of the Central Bank Chief Riad Salameh's deputies to Monday's session.

The tenure of the four deputies of the Central Bank Chief ends on Monday.

The ISF Intelligence Bureau is comprised of around 2,200 members and is now headed by Colonel Imad Othman who succeeded al-Hasan.

Former Interior Minister Marwan Charbel had reportedly prepared a decree after the assassination of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan, chief of the Intelligence Bureau of the ISF in October 2012, to transform the Intelligence Bureau to an independent branch.

However, the sharp political disputes and the resignation of Premier Najib Miqati's cabinet prevented from discussing the matter and endorsing it.

Sharp debate continuously flared up between the March 8 and 14 coalitions over granting the telecom data to the ISF Intelligence Bureau.