After conducting multiple raids on Mecattaf to investigate financial crimes, Judge Ghada Aoun will now look into Hezbollah’s Al-Qard Al-Hassan association, according to a local newspaper.
She will also investigate imports of medicine from Iran to Lebanon that contradict the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Judge Aoun‘s investigation is prompted by complaints submitted to her by attorneys Majd Harb and Elie Kerillos who accused Al-Qard Al-Hassan of violating Lebanon’s Monetary and Credit Law.
According to the complaint, Article 206 stipulates that breaches of the Monetary and Credit Law will be prosecuted before the criminal courts. Based on Article 200, those who engage in credit operations without being registered with the Central Bank (violating Article 181) will be subject to the penalties of Article 655 of the Penal Code.
Al-Qard Al-Hassan, the complaint pointed out, is categorized as a charity non-profit, that gets funding from shareholder funds in dollars in addition to annual subscriptions provided by borrowers.
Meanwhile, it acts as a major financial institution and even has ATMs, relieving its members of the national banking crisis.
As for the medicine imports from Iran, the main concern is that they lack sufficient scientific evidence regarding their quality and safety and that they can put Lebanon’s health system at risk.
Judge Aoun has since referred the complaints to the head of State Security in Baabda and requested an investigation into the matter.
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