The ongoing judges' open strike and the closure of the public prosecutor's offices for nearly 10 days is nothing but evidence that the judiciary is not well, and if the judiciary collapses, the already fragmented state will disintegrate further. Instead of preventing further collapses in its sectors, the political authority is seeking unrealistic solutions that lead to more imbalances.
Judicial references question why the Prime Minister's office refused to pay judges' salaries based on an exchange rate of 8,000 L.L. to the dollar from the Solidarity Fund, considering that until a new mechanism is found, it was possible to implement what was applied last month. They are surprised by what the Prime Minister's office has reached, which is a loan from the treasury amounting to 35 billion L.L. that must be repaid later. Additionally, this loan provides 6 million L.L. monthly in addition to the judges' salaries (which is less than two hundred dollars)... leading, naturally, to the continuation of the strike.
In this context, references criticize what is being propagated in the Bar Association regarding the judge's status being equivalent to that of military officers and security forces, explaining that this is not the case; there are no fuel allowances, cars, medical care, or schools provided to judges. If a judge has a security detail due to the sensitivity of the cases they handle, there is a significant uproar, while any lieutenant who has a detail and a car is not subjected to accusations of waste...?
Moreover, according to the constitution, the judiciary is a power, but in practice, it has become clear that the Presidents of the Republic, the Government, and the Parliament, along with all those in positions of responsibility, treat the judiciary as employees. To confirm this, the salary scale has been applied to employees but not to judges.
Judicial references further question: how can the judiciary combat corruption when the "highest judge" in the Lebanese Republic earns only 230 dollars a month? Therefore, why are judges' salaries not equitable before they are asked to fulfill their duties and retrieve files from their drawers? In response to a question, references clarify that what interests the lawyers is obtaining the judge's signature on the release order to collect their dues in dollars, but what about the judge? Can they still provide for their family's livelihood in terms of healthcare and education...?
Here, references point out that the political and sectarian composition in Lebanon has created "civil militias" among politicians, who do not care about going to courts, activating public prosecutor offices, and achieving justice. It can be said that 70% of the Lebanese people do not care about the judiciary, evidenced by the strike of over 400 judges, which constitutes a global precedent, treated with political indifference.
In this context, references reject the accusations of corruption directed at judges without exception, while an investigation conducted by security agencies about three years ago when the "judicial corruption" file was opened revealed that out of 550 judges, suspicions genuinely rested on only 17 judges. It is impossible to attack the judiciary and deny it its rights if only 17 judges are suspected of corruption.
Judicial references are surprised how people only see the "achievements of the officers" but overlook that officers in security agencies do not execute raids or arrests except based on the directives of the competent judiciary and public prosecutor offices. Therefore, references emphasize that a judge is not an employee but represents a power according to the constitution, and they continue to address politicians: if you want to turn the judge into an employee, amend the constitution?!
When judges threatened to resign, one senior politician suggested that two hundred lawyers could be appointed to those positions. This is the greatest evidence that the political authority does not want an independent judiciary. It continues: indeed, judges have reached their limit due to the deterioration of the purchasing power of their salaries, but one of the most important reasons for the strike is also the lack of judicial independence, evidenced by the selective opening or acceptance of files without any justification, which brings back to prominence the importance of passing a law for judicial independence that allows for the election of a council rather than one appointed by politicians to control it.
In any case, sources conclude by saying: they do not want accountability, nor do they want stability in the country, where in most countries worldwide, judges’ salaries are the highest, in order to prevent the expansion of political authority's tyranny. They conclude: this is understood by politicians in Lebanon, which is why they do not want an independent judiciary.
