In an initiative aimed at enhancing justice and preserving the standing of the judiciary, the Beirut Bar Association submitted a report to the Public Prosecution for discrimination against unknown persons, on charges related to “illegitimate brokers” who work illegally within the courts and all government departments, impersonate legal capacities, and engage in acts that directly harm the integrity of the judiciary and the rights of citizens.
According to the content of the report, the union has noticed, during the recent period, an increase in a dangerous phenomenon represented by individuals and networks exploiting the difficult circumstances that citizens are going through, the accumulation of transactions, and the disruption of administrative work, as they claim their ability to complete files, legal and administrative reviews, and “issue decisions and rulings” in exchange for sums of money, in practices that amount to fraud, forgery, and impersonation.
The union confirmed in its report that the most dangerous thing is that some people resort to forgery and use the title of “lawyer” or “legal advisor” illegally, and sign papers in this capacity, in addition to institutions or companies receiving stakeholders and announcing the provision of legal services and following up on judicial files, in an attempt to deceive people and make them believe that there are real law offices or a legal cover.
The union also pointed out that the spread of this phenomenon is no longer just individual or transient cases, but rather has become closer to an organized activity aimed at undermining confidence in the judiciary, overthrowing the concept of judicial security, and creating an environment of blackmail and trafficking in rights, which negatively affects the stability of society and the pillars of the rule of law.
In this context, the Syndicate considered that these actions represent crimes of impersonation, forgery, forming a gang of evil, fraud, and violation of civil rights, in addition to harming the reputation of the judiciary and lawyers, influencing the proper administration of justice, and interfering and inciting bribery crimes.
Accordingly, the Beirut Bar Association, represented by the head of the Bar Association, Imad Martinos, called for immediate legal measures to be taken to reveal the identity of those involved, arrest them, refer them to the competent judiciary, and prevent them from entering the courts and official departments, in addition to prosecuting any individual, institution, or company proven to be involved, interfering, or inciting them to commit these crimes, leading to the closure of centers that practice, under any name, acts in violation of the applicable law and regulations.
Lebanon Debate learned that the file had been referred to the Information Division of the Internal Security Forces to complete the necessary investigations and uncover the networks behind these practices.
This step comes within the framework of the national supervisory role played by the Bar Association, especially in light of the deterioration of trust in institutions that Lebanon is witnessing, as Captain Imad Martinos expresses his strong position in confronting everyone who tries to turn justice into a commodity or harm the reputation of lawyers and the judiciary, in a clear message that the Bar Association will not allow the courts to be transformed into a market for illegal brokers and intermediaries.
