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She pursued her judicial campaign until the very last day before the official end of her tenure within the judiciary. On March 1, 2024, the prosecutor at the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal, Ghada Aoun, who had been dismissed from her duties in May 2023 by the Judiciary’s Disciplinary Council, retired. True to her nature, however, she did not leave the scene without a final dramatic move: despite her dismissal, she filed a last-minute complaint against former caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, his brother Taha Mikati, former Governor of the Central Bank (BDL), Riad Salameh, and others, for money laundering.
This move, which aligns with her series of “spectacular” and widely controversial actions, raises a crucial question: what will become of the numerous legal proceedings she initiated, particularly since her dismissal?
A Controversial Judicial Legacy
In the final years of her career, especially after the October 17, 2019 uprising against the ruling power, to which Aoun was close, the prosecutor became known for judicial prosecutions that often took on a highly political nature. A close ally of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), she frequently targeted figures linked to her opponents, while ignoring, under various pretexts, other complaints and appeals against her party or its allies. Her actions, which significantly undermined the credibility of Lebanon’s judiciary, divided public opinion: to her supporters, she represented relentless justice, while her critics accused her of conducting a selective campaign driven by political interests.
Now that she has left office, the fate of the cases she initiated seems uncertain. She was summoned multiple times before the Disciplinary Council but refused to appear, fueling criticism that she placed herself above the very rules she enforced on others.
For now, it is up to the investigating judge of Baabda, Nicolas Mansour (also close to the FPM), to review the cases in question. However, he could take a “U-turn” in his stance and “accept the appeals filed by the concerned parties against Ghada Aoun’s decisions on procedural and substantive grounds,” as noted by lawyer Mark Habka in an interview with This Is Beirut.
The reason for this potential shift is simple. Following the election of a new president and the formation of a new government, the FPM—closely tied to both Ghada Aoun and her supporters—has lost significant influence, holding no ministerial positions in the current cabinet. The new administration could slow down the legal actions she initiated. Consequently, Judge Mansour may choose to sideline, dismiss, or close the cases filed by Aoun.
Several cases initiated by Ghada Aoun have been criticized for their questionable legal foundations. Between procedural flaws, excessive zeal, and jurisdictional conflicts, there are ample legal grounds to justify the abandonment of these cases.
What’s Next?
The retirement of a magistrate marks the end of their involvement in the cases they handled. Therefore, Judge Aoun can no longer personally reopen proceedings or intervene directly. “However, her influence does not completely fade,” according to a judicial source. Aoun may, as she has done in the past—and contrary to the principles of her profession—use favorable media outlets or social media to maintain pressure and denounce potential judicial obstruction of her cases.
Furthermore, according to the same source, the FPM and its allies may seize upon her “fight” as a political rallying point, emphasizing the need to pursue the cases she opened in an attempt to regain influence in a political landscape where they have lost ground. Additionally, if some of these cases are dismissed, NGOs (such as Sherpa, which has long supported Aoun) or civil parties could turn to the courts to request their reconsideration.
The upcoming judicial appointments, expected within a month (as stated by Mark Habka), will be decisive in determining Aoun’s successor, who, based on the principle of judicial independence, could reassess the cases she left behind.
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