Lebanon's status as a member of Interpol has recently come under scrutiny due to news of its membership being suspended over unpaid dues amounting to approximately $60,000 since the beginning of May. This suspension would deny Lebanon access to important information and the exchange of wanted individuals. However, subsequent reports clarified that the Internal Security Forces and relevant ministries have not been officially informed by Interpol about Lebanon's suspension from the organization or any halt in cooperation between the two parties.
A request for the transfer of the owed funds was sent to the Ministry of Finance last Friday, signed by the caretaker Minister of Finance, Youssef Khalil, and forwarded to the Central Bank of Lebanon to process the payment to Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, France. This does not confirm the suspension of membership, though.
Prior to this news of suspension, Lebanon faced isolation from various Arab and international funds and institutions due to its failure to meet state dues. This raises questions about the accuracy of such reports.
In light of this, informed sources confirm to "Al-Markaziya" that the news of Lebanon's suspension from Interpol is unfounded. They emphasized that suspending a member state's participation requires specific procedures, including non-payment of dues for three consecutive years, and this decision must come from the General Assembly. As of now, Lebanon has not failed to pay its dues, which have been settled regularly, aside from recent delays due to a public sector strike; the request for financial dues was indeed signed by the Minister of Finance.
As of now, Lebanon remains a member of Interpol, which was established under a foundational law on June 13, 1956, during the 25th General Assembly held in Vienna. Interpol’s role is to enable police forces worldwide to collaborate to make the world safer, even in the absence of diplomatic relations between certain countries. The organization, headquartered in Lyon, France, provides sophisticated technical and operational support to tackle the growing criminal challenges of the 21st century.
During the 82nd General Assembly of Interpol with its 190 member countries, the Executive Committee unanimously agreed to establish Interpol as an institution for a safer world, electing former minister Elias Murr as its president, who has since been re-elected. Currently, Lebanon is still listed among the founding members of an organization that has seven regional offices worldwide, along with representation at the United Nations in New York and the European Union in Brussels. Each member country has a national central office staffed by highly trained law enforcement personnel.
Can we expect Lebanon's status to be jeopardized due to unpaid dues? Will Lebanon be expelled from the World Customs Organization, established in 1952 under the name "Customs Cooperation Council," which includes 178 members from customs administrations worldwide? As of now, it can be said that Lebanon is still in good standing as long as its name remains on the map of Interpol and other international organizations. Moving forward, it is crucial for Lebanon to address these financial responsibilities to avoid any risk of suspension or isolation.
