The internal Lebanese events yesterday marked a significant judicial turning point as the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Aboud, opposed "overt political interference in judicial work and performance through systematic and persistent campaigns that included allegations, fabrications, attacks, and violations" targeting the judiciary, judges, the council, and its president. Accordingly, Aboud decided to "break the silence," standing up against Justice Minister Henry Khoury's action of "calling for a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council and setting its agenda, in a precedent justified by political rather than judicial reasons, even though it was ostensibly based on a legal provision (Article 6 of the Judicial Authority Law) that has not been applied or acted upon previously, as it contradicts the principle of separation of powers and the principle of judicial independence enshrined in the Constitution." In his statement, Aboud also announced his "non-attendance at the Supreme Judicial Council meeting" called by Khoury today, "adhereing to an oath to uphold the independence and dignity of the judiciary, and believing in the independence of the work of the Supreme Judicial Council, and not solidifying what undermines this independence."
Subsequently, the Justice Minister appeared determined to create a rift within the judiciary through a statement he made that seemed to incite judges to rebel against the President of the Supreme Judicial Council's decision not to attend today's session, saying: "I don’t think that the judges in the council will heed Judge Aboud's call to boycott the session." In light of this situation, judicial sources revealed to "Nidaa al-Watan" that the Supreme Judicial Council's session would be held today under the presidency of the Deputy President of the Council, the Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oueidat. However, it was also expected that the session might lose its legal quorum with Oueidat exiting it when the issue of appointing an alternate judge for the investigative judge in the Beirut Port explosion case is raised, especially since he had previously recused himself from considering the case in his capacity as a public prosecutor due to a familial relationship with the former accused Minister, MP Ghazi Zaiter.
