The Progressive Socialist Party is expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday to reveal a judicial interference in a deadly shooting in the Aley village of Qabr Shmoun as ministerial sources close to the president accused PSP chief Walid Jumblatt of seeking to paralyze the government.
“Results of the investigations show that several PSP officials are directly involved in the shooting,” the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“The PSP leader asked to meet the ambassadors of several major powers at the headquarters of a European embassy in Beirut to brief the diplomats on his version of the Qabr Shmoun incident,” the source said, adding that Jumblatt told the ambassadors he was being subjected to a campaign to isolate him.
The ministerial sources said that Jumblatt insists on not referring the Qabr Shmoun case to the Justice Council.
On Sunday, Industry Minister Wael Abou Faour, who represents the PSP in the cabinet, said that during next Tuesday’s press conference, his party would inform the public about blatant interference in the judiciary by some people who pledged to protect the Constitution.
The Lebanese government has been paralyzed since last month over the June 30 clashes that left two aides to Minister of State for Refugee Affairs Saleh Gharib dead in the Aley town of Qabr Shmoun.
Efforts to mediate a way out of the standoff are deadlocked over which court should hear the case. Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan has called for referring it to the Judicial Council, a specialized court that handles highly sensitive security issues.
Gharib is an LDP member.
On Friday, President Michel Aoun telephoned Prime Minister Saad Hariri, asking him to call for a cabinet session as soon as possible, igniting a silent crisis between the two authorities over constitutional powers.
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