Decision from Judge Ghada Aoun Regarding the Faqma Cave Area

The Public Prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, Judge Ghada Aoun, issued a decision requesting the "immediate cessation of work around the Faqma Cave in Amchit until all environmental impact conditions are verified and assessed." It is noteworthy that the Mayor of Amchit, Antoine Issa, had issued a statement saying: "There is a person who has property near the Faqma Cave, 15 meters away, and has obtained the necessary permits from the ministries of transport, interior, and environment regarding this matter to build a house in the area, and legally he is allowed to construct because the regulations and laws permit it." He added: "When he started digging, there was an uproar due to the existence of the mentioned cave next to his property. As a municipality, we have a written commitment from the property owner not to disturb the cave at all, and we asked him to install a machine to measure vibrations so that it does not affect the rock and the seal inside it. We also requested that the work be carried out using small machines and equipment, and most importantly, the presence of an engineer from the municipality to monitor the progress of the work." He addressed those with malicious intent, saying, "Amchit is my town, and its sea is our sea, and I own property near the cave. We do not harm our town or its nature, and this is not in my municipal history for 24 years nor in my ethical values that I was raised on. I call upon the malicious people to stop fabricating false news," reminding that "the property owner has the license, and it is his right to build a house on it, as private property is a sacred right, and no one has the right to infringe upon it. We are committed to preserving the cave so that the seal they talk about can continue to reside in it."