Michel Aun has promised that he will keep the case under his personal control “until court proceedings are held if the allegations are substantiated”.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun intends to obtain evidence from the United States, on the basis of which sanctions were imposed on his son-in-law, leader of the Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Basil. This was stated in a statement issued on Saturday by the office of the head of state.
“President Aung instructed Acting Foreign Minister Charbel Wahba to obtain through the Lebanese Embassy in Washington the necessary documentary evidence that prompted the U.S. to impose sanctions against former Foreign Minister and MP Gebran Basil”, – the statement said. It stresses that “this evidence will be submitted to the judicial authorities for appropriate action in accordance with Lebanese law”. The President of the Republic has promised that he will keep the case under his personal control “pending trial in the event that the allegations are substantiated”.
The Christian politician was placed on the sanctions list on Friday. A statement from the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the head of state’s son-in-law was “involved in corruption in Lebanon’s political system. According to Al-Hadath TV, Washington has imposed sanctions against Basil in order to weaken the influence of Iran and the Hezbollah Shiite party, of which the SPD has been a political ally since 2006.
On Saturday, SPD leaders condemned unjustified restrictions on their leader, imposed “in retaliation for Basil’s refusal to comply with the pressure exerted on him and to compromise national principles”.
“We call on the American administration to reconsider this unjust decision, respect the free will of the Lebanese and democratic values”, – the movement’s statement said.
Earlier, the U.S. Treasury Department’s allegations of Basil’s involvement in corruption were rejected by the Hezbollah Shiite party, which viewed the American restrictions as interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.