Adwan: Insignificant Results One Year After Uncovering Illegal Internet
Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan stressed on Tuesday that the results reached so far over the illegal internet scandal were not up to the dauntless efforts exerted so far by the telecommunications parliamentary committee tasked with studying the file.
“We have been talking about the illegal internet file for a year now. There is determination to end the work we began with,” said Adwan.
Referring to former OGERO Telecom chief Abdul Menhem Youssef who was charged in the file, the MP Asked: “Abdul Menhem Youssef is one of the accused and he is abroad. Why has not a restraining order been issued to ban his travel ?” he wondered.
Speaking after a meeting for the Telecom committee at the Parliament, Adwan lamented stalling regarding trials in the illegal internet case.
A year ago, it was revealed 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 telecommunications company OGERO were arrested over possible links to the networks.
Later the parliamentary media committee unveiled what it described as a “mafia” taking advantage of internet services by installing internet stations that are not subject to the state control.
The owners of these stations were buying international internet bandwidth with nominal cost from Turkey and Cyprus which they were selling back to Lebanese subscribers at reduced prices.
It has been reported that government departments were using the services of illegal internet providers including the Lebanese army.
Reports said that wireless internet towers and technical equipment were placed illegally in some mountainous terrains including Tannourine, al-Dinnieh, Sannine and al-Zaarour.
Smuggled internet services initiate risks namely the possibility of security breach as it lacks the basic control standards exposing Lebanon's security to third parties including Israel.