Report: Hammoud Says Judiciary not Slowing Down Process in Illegal Internet File

State Prosecutor Judge Samir Hammoud denied on Tuesday the accusations claiming that the investigations in several judicial issues particularly the illegal internet file are being deliberately delayed, al-Joumhouria daily reported.

He called on those spreading rumors to look closely at the judicial mechanism and at the action of procedures provided by the law.

“The judiciary is not slowing down any action that could be taken. It is subject to the laws adopted in such cases,” Hammoud told the daily.

“The judiciary charged several individuals in the illegal internet file, some are detained and others are still free. They have all undergone initial investigations,” he added.

He assured that all the legal steps are being taken and that the interrogations will kick off in two stages this week and the next.

Reports have claimed that the judiciary is deliberately slowing the process of bringing those involved in the illegal internet file to justice.

In April, reports said that illegal internet stations have been proven to exist so far in the mountainous terrains of Dinniyeh, Oyoun al-Siman, Faqra and Zaarour.

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil has said that the smuggled internet costs the state around $200 million in lost revenues every year.

Early in March, the media and telecom parliamentary committee unveiled that there is a “mafia” that is taking advantage of illicit internet services by installing internet stations that are not subject to 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, reports have said.