8/10/2026
With the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of parallel financial investigations related to money laundering offenses, prosecutions, judicial rulings and confiscations, the first day of a workshop aimed at presenting and activating the procedures followed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Cassation and the Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces began today, 08-10-2026, at the Mövenpick Hotel – Beirut.
The workshop was inaugurated by the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Judge Ahmad Rami Al-Hajj, and the Director General of the Internal Security Forces, General Raed Abdallah, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Special Investigation Commission at the Central Bank of Lebanon, Mr. Abdel Hafiz Mansour, the Chairman of the Higher Council of Customs, Brigadier General Misbah Khalil, the Director General of Customs, Ms. Gracia Kazzi, and representatives of the security agencies, with the participation of a large number of concerned judges and officers.
The workshop began with the Lebanese national anthem, followed by the screening of a documentary on Lebanon’s placement on the grey list and the measures taken in this regard.
Speeches were then delivered on the occasion.
In his speech, the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation highlighted the importance of the workshop on parallel financial investigations, considering it a reflection of the level of cooperation and coordination between public prosecution offices and security agencies, particularly the Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces, in combating money laundering, a transnational crime. He commended the progress achieved in combating this crime, stressing that it has become a national, regional and international priority, and that combating it contributes to stability, enhances the credibility of the state, and supports Lebanon’s efforts to exit the grey list.
He explained that the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Cassation has become a central authority for prosecutions related to money laundering and directly oversees parallel financial investigations into drug trafficking, terrorist financing, corruption, human trafficking and other offenses. He also highlighted the role of specialized security units, particularly the Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Office and the Anti-Money Laundering Unit of the Information Branch, in cooperation with State Security and Customs.
He stressed the need to monitor transactions involving digital currencies and virtual assets, proposing the establishment of an electronic wallet dedicated to the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Cassation to seize suspicious digital assets, with a view to confiscating them for the benefit of the public treasury following final judicial rulings, drawing on the Egyptian experience in this field.
He called for strengthening direct cooperation among Arab public prosecution offices and complementing security cooperation with effective judicial cooperation that would enable the tracing, seizure and recovery of funds. He also praised the efforts of the Director General of the Internal Security Forces, as well as those of judges, officers and security personnel, in protecting Lebanon and upholding the rule of law.
For his part, General Abdallah, in his speech, expressed his appreciation for the broad participation in the workshop and stressed that combating money laundering and terrorist financing is a shared national responsibility. He praised the partnership among the judicial, financial, military and security authorities, as well as the support provided by international and regional organizations.
He stressed the importance of parallel financial investigations in tracing funds, uncovering criminal networks, and freezing, seizing and confiscating proceeds, thereby depriving criminals of their illicit gains and protecting the national economy and Lebanon’s financial reputation.
He also reviewed the steps taken by the Internal Security Forces, including developing the capabilities of specialized units, training investigators, establishing joint working teams, and strengthening international cooperation and partnerships with the private sector. He confirmed the continued implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plan aimed at enabling Lebanon to exit the grey list, calling for open dialogue and actionable recommendations.
In the same context, the Secretary-General of the Special Investigation Commission welcomed the participants in the workshop dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of parallel financial investigations, prosecutions and judicial rulings in money laundering cases. He commended the support provided by the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation and the Director General of the Internal Security Forces, as well as the cooperation between the judicial and security authorities.
He stressed that combating money laundering requires conducting a financial investigation in parallel with the investigation into the predicate offense, in order to trace funds, identify their sources and beneficiaries, while expediting the freezing and seizure of assets to prevent their transfer or dissipation, with a view to confiscating them.
He stressed that the success of investigations should not be measured by the number of cases referred to the judiciary, but by the ability to turn financial intelligence into evidence leading to judicial rulings and the confiscation of criminal proceeds. He noted that the number of money laundering prosecutions in Lebanon had increased following the limited number of judicial rulings issued between 2017 and 2021.
He also emphasized the importance of the workshop in supporting the plan for Lebanon to exit the grey list, calling for practical challenges to be addressed and national and international cooperation to be strengthened in order to develop Lebanon’s capabilities in combating money laundering and terrorist financing and fulfilling its international obligations.
It should be noted that the workshop will continue for two days at the same venue.
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the efforts to combat illegal hunting, particularly through the use of nets installed as traps that ensnare birds and block their migration routes, turning them into tools of extermination that decimate entire flocks, kill large numbers of birds, and threaten some species with extinction, thereby endangering biodiversity, disrupting the ecological balance, and depleting natural resources, the Bekaa Investigation Division, affiliated with the Territorial Gendarmerie Unit, continues its extensive field campaign to remove illegally installed bird-catching nets. The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces had previously announced, in an earlier statement, that during the first phase of the campaign, the Division had seized and removed /20,640/ square meters of nets in several areas of the Bekaa. As part of these ongoing efforts, the Division continued its operations over a period of three days, in operational and intelligence cooperation with the joint Lebanese-international operations team of the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) (MECSHAP–CABS). The operations covered the areas of Younine, Labweh, Arsal, Ras Baalbek, Mashari’ al-Qaa, Al-Kweitat, Joubbouleh, Jdeidet al-Fakha and the heights of Nahleh. The joint operations resulted in the removal of an additional /17,640/ square meters of nets, bringing the campaign’s total to /38,280/ square meters. The Division used a drone to detect the nets and locate them from the air. Members of the Ras Baalbek Unit also took part in removing some of the nets, while several sustainable hunters provided field information that helped identify the locations of the violations. As a result of follow-up, investigations and inquiries, the Division’s personnel identified a number of individuals involved. Legal proceedings are underway against them, based on the instructions of the competent judicial authority. The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces renews its call on citizens to contribute to combating illegal hunting and to report violators by documenting violations through photographs or video footage and sending them via the “Baligh” reporting service, or by contacting the Operations Room at /112/.
8/10/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division announces the following: At the invitation of the Barbour Traders Association, the “Autumn Festival” will be held at Barbour Market from today, 08-10-2026, until 11-10-2026. Accordingly, traffic and parking will be prohibited throughout the duration of the festival as follows: From the intersection with Burj Abi Haidar Street (Bishop Gregorios Haddad Street) to Abbad Al-Rahman Mosque. From the intersection of Zreik – southern entrance (Barbour Street) towards Mazraa Corniche. A contracting company will carry out excavation works along the roadside in Ouzai, from the Federation Water Reservoir junction to Nasser Station in the aforementioned area. The company will also rehabilitate and pave the road extending from the Al-Mahdi – Maramel descent intersection towards Rafic Hariri International Airport, as follows: Friday, 09-10-2026: from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11-10-2026: from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Accordingly, citizens are requested to take note of the above and comply with the instructions and guidance of Internal Security Forces personnel, as well as the traffic signs installed at the site, in order to facilitate traffic flow and prevent congestion.
8/10/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the daily follow-up carried out by the Internal Security Forces to combat theft operations across the various Lebanese regions, the Information Branch received information concerning unidentified individuals carrying out thefts from construction sites in the South. As a result of investigations and inquiries, the Branch identified the suspects as: S. S. (born in 1990, Palestinian) M. S. (born in 1988, Palestinian), wanted under two final judgments for drug-related offenses and the transportation of military ammunition R. S. (born in 1984, Lebanese), wanted under an arrest warrant for theft On 20 September 2026, following a careful surveillance operation, a Branch patrol arrested them in flagrante delicto in the Msayleh area while they were carrying out a theft inside a construction site. Copper pipes belonging to air-conditioning units were seized in their possession, along with a white «Toyota Avanza» vehicle. During questioning, they admitted to the charges against them, namely their involvement in several theft operations targeting industrial equipment from construction sites in the areas of Msayleh, Zefta, Saida and Jinsnaya, and selling the stolen items to a shop owner in the Ghaziyeh area, identified as: N. D. S. (born in 1998, Palestinian). The second suspect also admitted to using drugs. On the same date, the latter was arrested in the Ghaziyeh area. During questioning, he admitted to having purchased industrial equipment several times from the aforementioned individuals and to using hashish. The necessary legal measures were taken against them, and they were handed over, along with the seized items, to the competent authorities, based on the instructions of the judiciary.
7/10/2026
The Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division issued the following statement: As part of the continuous follow-up carried out by the Internal Security Forces to pursue and arrest the perpetrators of crimes, and within the framework of the security plan established by the Judicial Police Unit to combat this scourge throughout all Lebanese regions, information was received by the Tripoli Regional Anti-Narcotics Office concerning unidentified individuals involved in drug trafficking in the North, particularly in Tripoli and Zgharta. As a result of the follow-up, on 22, 24 and 28 August 2026, and on 1, 17 and 23 September 2026, several drug dealers were arrested in flagrante delicto while trafficking drugs in Al-Mina, Zgharta, Majdelya, Al-Tabbaneh and Abi Samra. They were identified as: M. Ch. (born in 2007, Lebanese) K. B. (born in 2007, Lebanese) H. H. (born in 1966, Lebanese) N. K. (born in 1994, Lebanese) M. S. (born in 1996, Syrian) A. M. (born in 1986, Syrian) M. H. (born in 1979, Syrian) M. M. (born in 1999, Lebanese) M. D. (born in 1995, Lebanese) N. Ch. (born in 2000, Lebanese) A. Gh. (born in 2002, Lebanese) Upon searching them, the following substances were found in their possession: /1,120/ g of hashish, /48/ Captagon pills, /18/ g of cocaine, and a quantity of cocaine base. The detainees, along with the seized substances, were handed over to the relevant units to take the necessary legal measures, based on the instructions of the competent judicial authority.
7/10/2026
