The army is seeking to
sue al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Moein al-Merehbi “on charges of inciting sectarian
strife,” media reports said on Friday.
MTV said “the army asked
the public prosecution to take legal action against MP Moein al-Merehbi on
charged of inciting sectarian strife.”
For its part OTV said
“the public prosecution has decided to prosecute Merehbi at the request of the
Army Command.”
The development comes
after the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch arrested former minister
Michel Samaha on Thursday "for security reasons." LBCI and MTV
reported that the former minister confessed to planning bombings that would have
been carried out during Ramadan iftars in northern Lebanon.
"Samaha confessed
to smuggling explosives in his car from Syria to Lebanon," reported LBCI.
Samaha is known for his pro-Syrian regime views and media reports say he served
as an advisor to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
On July 31 the Army
Command announced that it had “launched measures aimed at prosecuting MP Moein
al-Merehbi” after he “insisted on attacking the military institution and
insulting its leadership,” noting that from now on it “will not comment on the
remarks of the aforementioned MP.”
Earlier, Merehbi had
slammed Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji as an “unsuccessful person,”
accusing him of being “responsible for all the mistakes and seditions.”
The lawmaker also said
the army commander is “an employee who should do his job,” accusing him of
“exploiting the (military) institution in order to become the next president of
the republic.”
In a statement issued by
the Army Command in response to Merehbi’s remarks, the military institution said:
“Let the lawmaker know that all the officers and soldiers of the army are not
his employees, but rather the servants of all the Lebanese people, and they
only abide by the decisions of the legitimate authorities and the collective
national will.”
Merehbi hit back later,
telling the Kuwaiti daily al-Jarida that “the army’s statement is very silly
and full of lies as usual.”
“I am willing to resign,
together with Army Commander Jean Qahwaji, and let us resort to some
trustworthy judges in order to tell who is negligent and who is exploiting his
position for personal gains,” Merehbi added.
Merehbi has been locked in
a war of words with the military institution ever since the shooting death in
May of Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed at an army checkpoint in Akkar.http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/49703
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