Lebanon13 September, 20263 min read
Forest Ranger Sh. S. Arrested in Kesrouan Bribery Case Over Firewood Permits
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Kesrouan forest ranger arrested for allegedly accepting bribes from firewood traders Bribery aimed to facilitate transport permits for wood shipments
Bribery Arrest in Kesrouan
A forest ranger in Kesrouan was arrested after a patrol from the Mount Lebanon regional office apprehended Mr. (Sh. S.) on an order issued by the Public Financial Prosecution under Judge Maher Zain, following information about collusion with firewood traders to facilitate transport permits for monetary payments.
The General Directorate of State Security - Department of Media, Guidance, and Public Relations said the investigation revealed the forest ranger had accepted bribes from each of (A. J.), (M. J.), and (R. J.) in exchange for issuing firewood transport and purchase permits in Kesrouan, charged as a percentage.
The statement said the detained individual admitted to receiving a monetary payment for every ton of firewood sold to the aforementioned individuals in return for facilitating their acquisition of required permits.
It added that the individual was detained on charges of abusing his position for personal gain, with a search and investigation bulletin issued, the case file sealed, and the matter referred to the competent judicial authority to continue legal proceedings.
The same release said the detained person was later released on a financial bond.
Israeli Detention of Kafr Shuba Mayor
In southern Lebanon, multiple outlets described the Israeli army briefly detaining Kfar Shuba mayor Kassem Kadri as Israeli attacks continued across the area.
Today said Kadri was briefly detained Saturday evening by the Israeli army before being released an hour later, after he encountered Israeli soldiers while inspecting the village’s artesian well shortly before sunset.
The same report quoted Kadri’s account that the soldiers proposed quid-pro-quo collaboration and offered him and residents of the region "cooperation, accompanied by financial aid if he wished."
شبكة تواصل الإخبارية reported that an Israeli patrol interrogated the mayor of Kafr Shuba, Dr. Qasim Al-Qudari, while he was at the site of the water tank that feeds the town, and confiscated his phone before releasing him later.
That outlet added that the municipality stressed he is fine and in good health, returned to his town and family, and was not arrested or transported anywhere else.
Calls for International Action
After the detention of Dr. Qasem Al-Qadri, Al-Khayam Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims condemned what it described as Israeli occupation forces detaining him for several hours while he was inspecting the water well and ongoing works in the area.
Elsiyasa said the center’s stance came during a solidarity visit by a delegation that included Deputy Secretary-General Hasib Abdul Hamid and Jamal Shahrour to Al-Qadri in his town.
The center warned that the detention of the head of the Union of Municipalities falls within a framework of methodological pressures and a covert “displacement” targeting the residents of the border villages, urging the state to activate diplomatic and international pressure channels to protect the residents of the border villages and stop Israeli attacks.
In parallel, مونت كارلو الدولية described ongoing escalation around the Ali al-Taher highlands in the Nabatieh area, where the Israeli army announced last Thursday the destruction of an underground tunnel network and installations belonging to Hizballah.
The same report said the intensification of strikes was concentrated in Kfar Tibnit and upper Nabatieh and around Talat al-Dabsha and Hraj Ali al-Taher, while explosions continued in al-Tiri and al-Mansuri and were also subjected to artillery shelling.