Geagea Says Jawhari Arrest 'Blatant Meddling' in Elections

The arrest of anti-Hizbullah Shiite cleric Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari at this timing is “a blatant meddling in the electoral process” in the Baalbek-Hermel district, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Friday.

The cleric was “playing an active role in the preparations for one of the lists in the region,” Geagea noted in a statement.

“Sheikh Abbas' arrest is aimed at preventing him from running on any electoral list and accordingly stripping him of his right to nominate himself,” the LF leader added.

“Sheikh Abbas' arrest in this fashion and without any real justification or charge cannot but be considered a blatant meddling in the current electoral process in the Baalbek-Hermel district,” Geagea went on to say.

Accordingly, the LF leader called on the competent judicial authorities to “convene as soon as possible to look into the file and release Sheikh Abbas,” warning that the cleric's continued arrest would “smear the electoral process in the Baalbek-Hermel district.”

Jawhari was arrested Thursday by General Security on an “outstanding arrest warrant.”

In a statement, General Security said Jawhari was apprehended after arriving at its headquarters to carry out a transaction related to a domestic worker.

“It turned out that there is an outstanding arrest warrant against him carrying the number 86/869 and issued on February 12, 2018 by Mount Lebanon's examining magistrate over a drug-related offense. After consulting with Mount Lebanon's public prosecution, it ordered the arrest of Sheikh al-Jawhari and demanded that he be referred to it,” General Security said.

“Accordingly, the cleric was referred to the aforementioned public prosecutor's office on the same date,” the security agency added.

Al-Jawhari's press office meanwhile issued a statement explaining its account of events.

“Around five years ago, a brother of incumbent MP Hussein al-Moussawi rented an apartment in Baalbek for eighth months... Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari had rented the same apartment before Mr. Moussawi,” the press office said.

“After Mr. Moussawi's departure from the rental apartment, a quantity of Captagon was seized in it and both Mr. Moussawi and Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari were subjected to an investigation. It turned out later that it was a malicious ploy by Hizbullah to frame Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari and target him over his opposition to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria,” the office added.

“Sheikh al-Jawhari issued later a statement confirming his innocence and the fabricated ploy,” the office said.

It added that the cleric was arrested Thursday “under the alibi of the same file.”

“Hizbullah exerted pressure to oust Sheikh al-Jawhari from the race for the 2018 parliament because the cleric is the only Shiite who has the ability to clinch a seat from Hizbullah's list,” the press office alleged.