By Youssef Diab
BEIRUT: Appointing a new president to the Higher Judicial Council will top the Cabinet’s agenda when it tackles civil services appointments, according to sources close to the Justice Ministry.
The post has been vacant for nearly a year following the retirement of Judge Ghaleb Ghanem.
The sources told The Daily Star Sunday that the issue will be a priority as any reforms to the judiciary require the presence of the Higher Judicial Council president.
“Only a full board and competent Judicial Council will be capable of guaranteeing accountability and transparency in judicial inspection, whereby the disciplinary council acquits the innocent and punishes violators, as new blood is pumped into the judicial body,” the sources added.
Apart from appointments in posts reserved for Shiites, the government has failed so far to reach agreements over vacancies in civil service positions that are reserved for Sunnis or Christians.
The most recent appointment occurred two weeks ago when Hezbollah-backed former State Minister Adnan Assayed Hussein was nominated as head of the Lebanese University, a post that has been held by a Shiite since the end of the 1975-90 Civil War.
Sources said there were five candidates with ranks high enough to head the Higher Judicial Council in contention for the post: Alice Chabtini, Antoine Daher, Arlette Jreissati, Tannous Meshleb and Jean Fahd.
However, the list was narrowed to three after Fahd and Daher, who was a favorite under former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, were ruled out.
Though Fahd is well-reputed among his colleagues and political parties alike, the sources said that he still has 13 years to serve before retirement, which is considered a long period of time to remain as head of the Higher Judicial Council.
The sources said the competition is likely to pit Chabtini against Meshleb. Meshleb is Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s second choice after Jreissati.
The sources added that Shebtini enjoys support from President Michel Sleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Progressive Socialist party leader Walid Jumblatt, making her a favorite to assume the post.
If Aoun disagrees with Mikati along with members of the March 8 alliance over the appointment, it would put more pressure on the Cabinet, threatening to deepen divisions among its ranks.
While Aoun is reportedly seeking to take advantage of its alliance with Hezbollah to boost the representation of March 8 Christians in state administrative positions, Mikati is looking to boost his popularity within the Sunni community, ministerial sources told The Daily Star earlier this month.
The sources said the failure to reach an agreement between Aoun and other factions in the government could see Aoun escalate his position and declare his opposition to the appointment of any civil servants before the government decides the fate of a handful of Sunni state employees.
However, the sources said Aoun was unlikely to take such a step without coordinating it first with Hezbollah because it would put Aoun in direct confrontation with Mikati, and could threaten the government’s unity at inconvenient time for Hezbollah.
Aoun has accused several high-ranking Sunni state employees of corruption and blind loyalty to Future Movement leader Saad Hariri, whose government was ousted after the former prime minister refused to end ties with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Aoun is also seeking to oust Internal Security Forces Director Ashraf Rifi, head of the Information Branch of the ISF Wissam al-Hassan, Director of landline-provider OGERO, Abdel Meneem Youssef and State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza.
BEIRUT: Appointing a new president to the Higher Judicial Council will top the Cabinet’s agenda when it tackles civil services appointments, according to sources close to the Justice Ministry.
The post has been vacant for nearly a year following the retirement of Judge Ghaleb Ghanem.
The sources told The Daily Star Sunday that the issue will be a priority as any reforms to the judiciary require the presence of the Higher Judicial Council president.
“Only a full board and competent Judicial Council will be capable of guaranteeing accountability and transparency in judicial inspection, whereby the disciplinary council acquits the innocent and punishes violators, as new blood is pumped into the judicial body,” the sources added.
Apart from appointments in posts reserved for Shiites, the government has failed so far to reach agreements over vacancies in civil service positions that are reserved for Sunnis or Christians.
The most recent appointment occurred two weeks ago when Hezbollah-backed former State Minister Adnan Assayed Hussein was nominated as head of the Lebanese University, a post that has been held by a Shiite since the end of the 1975-90 Civil War.
Sources said there were five candidates with ranks high enough to head the Higher Judicial Council in contention for the post: Alice Chabtini, Antoine Daher, Arlette Jreissati, Tannous Meshleb and Jean Fahd.
However, the list was narrowed to three after Fahd and Daher, who was a favorite under former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, were ruled out.
Though Fahd is well-reputed among his colleagues and political parties alike, the sources said that he still has 13 years to serve before retirement, which is considered a long period of time to remain as head of the Higher Judicial Council.
The sources said the competition is likely to pit Chabtini against Meshleb. Meshleb is Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s second choice after Jreissati.
The sources added that Shebtini enjoys support from President Michel Sleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Progressive Socialist party leader Walid Jumblatt, making her a favorite to assume the post.
If Aoun disagrees with Mikati along with members of the March 8 alliance over the appointment, it would put more pressure on the Cabinet, threatening to deepen divisions among its ranks.
While Aoun is reportedly seeking to take advantage of its alliance with Hezbollah to boost the representation of March 8 Christians in state administrative positions, Mikati is looking to boost his popularity within the Sunni community, ministerial sources told The Daily Star earlier this month.
The sources said the failure to reach an agreement between Aoun and other factions in the government could see Aoun escalate his position and declare his opposition to the appointment of any civil servants before the government decides the fate of a handful of Sunni state employees.
However, the sources said Aoun was unlikely to take such a step without coordinating it first with Hezbollah because it would put Aoun in direct confrontation with Mikati, and could threaten the government’s unity at inconvenient time for Hezbollah.
Aoun has accused several high-ranking Sunni state employees of corruption and blind loyalty to Future Movement leader Saad Hariri, whose government was ousted after the former prime minister refused to end ties with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Aoun is also seeking to oust Internal Security Forces Director Ashraf Rifi, head of the Information Branch of the ISF Wissam al-Hassan, Director of landline-provider OGERO, Abdel Meneem Youssef and State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza.
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