Justice Minister after meeting al-Rahi: My powers over judiciary are limited
Minister of Justice Henry Khoury met Friday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi over the controversial detention and interrogation of Archbishop Mussa al-Hajj.
Khoury said that dismissing Judge Fadi Akiki is not within his powers as a minister.
"The judiciary is self-governed and the Justice Minister's powers are limited," Khoury said, adding that he can not invest nor judge over the matter.
Khoury said that he had asked State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat to provide him with the available information regarding al Hajj's file and that he hasn't obtained any answer yet.
Oueidat had said in an press interview, that Akiki had enforced the law by questioning al-Hajj earlier this week upon his return from Israel with large quantities of medicines, foodstuffs and canned goods, in addition to $460,000.
Maronite clerics had asked for the dismissal of Akiki and for the confiscated aid to be returned immediately.
22 July 2022, 19:00
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In theory you’re spot on, the executive and the judiciary shouldn’t be connected, but magistrate fadi akiki is married to niece of the house speaker . It’s a banana republic where each judge is on a political party payroll. Even in Western Europe where I reside, there are connections between the magistrates and political parties, I have one distant relative who’s “procureur” and he was handpicked by a political party for the job. The French presidents often meddled with the judiciary and got away with it….this Type of corruption is generalized even in the US.
