'Meet Me in Court', Defiant Gemayel Tells FPM as He Accuses Jreissati of Bias

Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel announced Thursday that he is willing to confront Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil of the Free Patriotic Movement in Lebanese courts over the controversial file of leasing power generation ships and the libel lawsuit that ensued.

“This scene in addition to other scenes that we witnessed over the past few months remind us of the era of the (Lebanese-Syrian) security apparatus,” a defiant Gemayel said at a press conference, referring to Abi Khalil's lawsuit against dozens of politicians, journalists and activists who have launched corruption accusations against the minister in connection with the ships file.

“I have already expressed my willingness to have my parliamentary immunity lifted and I hope this issue will be addressed as soon as possible so that we can meet in courts,” Gemayel added.

“The problem is not that you have a problem with 400 Lebanese citizens but rather that we have a problem with you,” he went on to say.

He also reminded that he had recently submitted an official request to form a parliamentary panel of inquiry into suspected corruption in the file of the power ships.

“If they want to discuss the case in parliament we are ready and if they want to go to court we are also ready,” Gemayel added.

Referring to the meeting Abi Khalil and an FPM delegation held with Justice Minister Salim Jreissati, who is loyal to the FPM, the Kataeb chief slammed the remarks that were voiced by the minister during the meeting.

“The justice minister turned himself into a judge and issued a ruling before the case was even referred to the judiciary,” Gemayel lamented.

“He said 'none of us' has requested a commission, as if he is part of the issue,” he added.

“When citizens see the justice minister siding with the ruling class, this is considered intimidation and an attack on public freedoms, and it is a method used in backward states,” Gemayel went on to say.

He also noted that he has documents obtained from one of the firms that had intended to submit a bid that prove that the book of terms is “tailored” to secure the win of a specific firm – the Turkish Karadeniz firm which is the operator of the Fatmagul Sultan and Orhan Bey vessels that Lebanon has been leasing since 2012.