Fadlallah: Illegal Internet File Will not Be Covered up

MP Hassan Fadlallah vowed on Thursday that the judiciary will continue on investigating the case of the illegal internet, stressing that this issue will not be victim of a political cover-up.

He said after a meeting of the parliamentary media committee: “This file will not be subject to a cover-up and all low- and high-ranking officials linked to the case will be held accountable.”

He revealed that Israel had set up some equipment on the illegal internet stations that were discovered earlier this year.

“This equipment was dismantled before the concerned agencies arrived at the scene to inspect them,” added the MP in a press conference with Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb.

“The evidence in the case has been concealed and we demanded that an investigation be launched in this issue,” Fadlallah added.

A new meeting of the parliamentary telecommunications committee will be held on May 31.

For his part, Harb echoed Fadlallah's vows that no one involved in the illegal internet network will be protected politically.

He also said that the Financial General Prosecution had requested that the Telecommunications Ministry prosecute OGERO telecommunication company chief Abdul Moneim Youssef as a suspect in the case.

Youssef however is in Paris where he underwent heart surgery and has been ordered by his doctor to rest, said the minister.

Earlier on Thursday, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat wondered via Twitter: “Why has talk about the illegal internet file suddenly calm down?”

“Has a settlement been reached? It appears that those smoking cigars in their higher circles are laughing at the judiciary, which we reject.”

Harb revealed last month that around four illegal internet stations have been proven to exist in the mountainous terrains of al-Dinnieh, Ayoun al-Siman, Faqra and Zaarour.

Suspects involved in the case and believed to be associated with the state-owned OGERO were arrested over possible links to the networks.

Harb said Thursday that eight people have so far been detained following the investigations.

Early in March, the parliamentary media committee unveiled what it described as a “mafia” that are taking advantage of internet services by installing internet stations that are not subject to the state control.

The owners of these stations are buying international internet bandwidth with nominal cost from Turkey and Cyprus which they are selling back to Lebanese subscribers at reduced prices.

M.T.