The Daily Star — BEIRUT: Future Movement MP Hadi Hobeish filed a lawsuit against Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Ghada Aoun Thursday as the latter filed a complaint against the lawmaker for defamation and threatening her. Aoun submitted her complaint to the Cassation Public Prosecution, calling for the lawmaker’s arrest, trial and questioning. Her complaint was accompanied by video footage of Hobeish breaking into her office at the Baabda Justice Palace Wednesday and threatening her. Hobeish, in turn, filed charges against Aoun Thursday as well, for defamation, and contempt against lawyers and MPs. The Lebanese state also filed a criminal complaint against Hobeish Thursday, through lawyer Rabih al-Fakhry, for publicly attacking Aoun, and asked for him to be arrested and to pay at least $100 million in compensation for damaging the prestige of the state and the judiciary. According to the complaint, Hobeish’s actions are criminal as per the Lebanese Penal Code. The Future MP launched a personal protest at the Justice Palace in Baabda Wednesday against the arrest of Director-General of the Traffic and Vehicles Management Authority Hoda Salloum, who he is a related to.

Aoun Wednesday had ordered the arrest of Salloum based on a complaint filed by lawyer Wadih Akl related to allegations of bribery, forgery, waste of public funds, illegal enrichment and breach of duties. Hobeish described Aoun as a “militia” and a “symbol of corruption” when he was protesting inside the Justice Palace, accompanied by a number of unidentified men. He added: “We will not be silent about these acts after today,” and stated that he believed a judge has no right to make such a decision. Hobeish said that Aoun had arrested Salloum unlawfully. A judicial source told The Daily Star that as the director-general of a state institution, Salloum has immunity, so any judge must ask for permission from her superior, in this case the interior minister, in order to arrest her. Aoun had originally called Salloum in as a witness, making her arrest illegal, the source added. A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on December 13, 2019, on page 2.