Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun on Monday underlined the fundamental role of judges in eradicating corruption, urging them to support the State's upcoming fight against this plague.
Aoun’s remarks came during his meeting on Monday at the Baabda Palace with seven judges who were recently appointed to the Higher Judicial Council. The judges were sworn in before the president.
“Your oath is an extension to mine to preserve the law,” Aoun said in an address to the delegation, in the presence of Justice Minister Salim Jreissati.
Aoun urged the new Higher Judicial Council judges to tell him about any problems they would face in the future with politicians.
“Do not be confused in the application of laws and the maintenance of your oath, and do not respond to the pressures from any party. I protect the judiciary with all my competences, and I am always ready to defend it,” he stated.
Aoun asked the judges to preserve the dignity of the judiciary, “because at the same time you will be preserving the dignity of the government; and with the Constitutional Council, you preserve the Constitution.”
President of the Higher Judicial Council, Judge Jean Fahed, stressed that one of the judge’s “first duties is to be independent in the exercise of his judicial work.”
“A lot of politicians and public affairs workers often contact some judges to influence the course of the investigation or trial”, he said, calling for the need to deploy efforts “to address this phenomenon, which puts the judge in a daily challenged under the struggle of facing a moment of weakness.”
