By Carol Rizk: The Lebanese judiciary issued an indictment in favor of the Lebanese Forces (LF) in the lawsuit filed by the party against the chairman of the Lebanese Broadcasting Cooperation (LBC) television.
The indictment requested the imprisonment of LBC chairman Pierre Daher and LBC board member Raif Said al-Bustani, on suspicions of fraud and embezzlement.
The legal dispute between the LF and LBC started in November 2007 over the ownership of the Lebanese television channel, which was traditionally associated with the right-wing Christian party.
The lawsuit was handed to Beirut Investigative Magistrate Fadi Oneissy, who delivered the indictment and found Daher and Bustani guilty of “misuse of trust, fraud and embezzlement.”
LF attorney Suleiman Lebbos stressed the significance of the judicial decision, describing it as “the first step toward confirming that LBC belongs to the LF and not to Daher.”
The LF contends that the ownership of the television station should have returned to the party’s leader Samir Geagea after the latter’s release from prison in 2005. However, Daher contests the claims, saying LBC flourished thanks to efforts and investments outside the LF.
Following the release of the indictment, Daher issued a statement in which he stressed that “no legal, administrative, political or financial relation has existed between LBC and the LF since 1992 i.e. two years before Geagea was incarcerated.”
The statement explained that the lawsuit did not revolve around the right of ownership but rather around who controlled LBC’s news and political programs.
“It is an illusion to think this is a battle over ownership,” Daher said. “It is a battle over media freedom and over the freedom of a media institution that doesn’t believe in partisanship or political restraints. This freedom is sacred and I will not allow anyone to attack it.”
Daher voiced his strong refusal to surrender and described the lawsuit as “a battle in a war.”
“Now the real battle has begun and I will not back down. I will not negotiate, declare a truce or sign deals under the table … It is a battle in a war and those who know my past and know where I come from can foresee where the truth lies and what will be the future of the institution,” he added.
The legal dispute between the political party and the television station had repercussions that were felt in various fields. For instance, LBC called off a scheduled interview with Geagea in 2007 and laid off 60 employees in 2010, supposedly for their alleged affiliation with the LF. The LF also accuses LBC of intentionally ignoring LF news and activities in their coverage.
Daher regretted the way the first stage of the lawsuit was handled and described it as biased, adding that he hoped judicial authorities would take LBC’s memorandums into consideration in the second stage of prosecution.
Nonetheless Lebbos said Daher and LBC board members had all the time they needed to show evidence against the LF’s accusations, but still failed. “[Judge] Oneissy investigated the case thoroughly … but still they failed to defend themselves,” he added.
Oneissy’s indictment requested the incarceration of Bustani and Daher and considered LBC and some of its affiliated companies to be “partially responsible for the administration’s actions.”
The following companies were named in the judicial decision: LBC International, XYZ Limited, Lebanese Media Company Limited, Lebanese Media Holding Limited, LBC Plus Limited, LBC Sat Limited, Pack Limited and LBC Overseas Limited.
The rendered indictment also requested that the suspects in question appear before a Beirut criminal solitary magistrate and pay the court’s expenses.
According to a judicial source, the appointed judge will give out a condemning verdict, which could later be appealed by the LBC, Daher and Bustani. “The indictment itself cannot be appealed,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Oneissy stopped other legal actions against Daher and Bustani because they were all related to accusations of misuse of trust.
The judge also requested preventing the prosecution of other suspects in the case for lack of evidence. The suspects in question were identified as Marcel Youssef Daher, Randa Camille Saad, Rola Camille Saad, Rima Camille Saad, Iman Camille Saad, Maroun Oscar al-Jazzar, Salaheddine Nizam Oseiran and Marwan Salim Kheireddine.
LF bloc MP George Adwan is scheduled to hold a press conference at his office in Sami al-Solh Avenue on Friday to tackle the indictment.