The Daily Star - Cabinet unlikely to tackle judicial appointments, July 24 2012

By Hasan Lakkis

BEIRUT: Disagreements over judicial appointments will likely mean another top post goes unfilled as General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza’s prepares to retire next week.

According to sources, Cabinet is unlikely during its session Wednesday, to appoint a replacement to Mirza, who will leave his position on July 30.

Mirza is a member of the Higher Judicial Council and currently serves as its acting head, a post that has been vacant since Ghaleb Ghanem’s retirement over a year ago.

The appointment has been held up for months with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and President Michel Sleiman favoring different candidates.

As a stopgap measure, Judge Samir Hammoud could take over for Mirza as acting general prosecutor while the judge who is directly below Mirza in the Higher Judicial Council could become the acting head of the body, a judicial source told The Daily Star.

The Cabinet, which will convene under Mikati at the Grand Serail, has 45 items on its agenda. Among the most important items are a draft law allowing the Cabinet to issue treasury loans in foreign currencies and a proposal by the Tourism Ministry to revive the tourism season across the country.

On the agenda is a request by the Telecoms Ministry for funds to secure 12 landlines to prepare for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in September.

Deputy-Prime Minister Samir Moqbel will present to ministers a plan to improve prisons in Lebanon and Minister of State for Administrative Development Mohammad Fneish will present during the session a report on the recent hacking of ministries’ websites.

An understanding for technical cooperation between France’s General Directorate for Civil Aviation and the General Directorate of Lebanese Civil Aviation is also on the agenda.

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