The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants stated in a release that, "In light of the information circulating in the Lebanese and French media regarding legal actions in Paris against Lebanon's Ambassador Rami Adwan, the Ministry wishes to express its firm commitment to responsibly addressing the matter at hand, which protects the status and reputation of the state and its diplomatic representation worldwide, including in the French Republic."
The ministry's statement continued: "It has been decided to expedite the dispatch of an investigative committee headed by the Secretary-General of the ministry, with the participation of the Director of Inspections, to the embassy in Paris to investigate with the concerned ambassador, hear testimonies from embassy staff, including diplomats and administrators, and meet with necessary French officials to clarify matters reported in the media that have not been officially communicated to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry through proper diplomatic channels, so that appropriate legal actions can be taken in the interest of the public."
The French Foreign Ministry had previously called on its Lebanese counterpart to lift the immunity of the Lebanese ambassador in Paris, Rami Adwan, to facilitate an investigation into allegations of rape and deliberate violent acts against two former employees at the Lebanese diplomatic mission in the French capital.
The ambassador's legal representative, lawyer Karim Bilouni, noted that his client "denies all allegations of assault of any kind, whether verbal, moral, or sexual."
It is noteworthy that the first complainant, 31 years old, filed a complaint in June 2022 stating, according to the police record, that she was raped in May 2020 in the ambassador's private apartment. The second complainant, 28 years old, developed a close relationship with the ambassador shortly after starting her internship at the embassy in 2018 and filed a complaint last February claiming to have faced a series of physical assaults that often resulted from her refusal to engage in a sexual relationship. The complainant asserts that Adwan attempted to run her over with his car following an argument at a peace forum in Caen, western France, in September.
