President Michel Aoun said on Saturday that Lebanon would seek evidence and documents from the United States that led Washington to impose sanctions on his son-in-law Gebran Bassil.
“Aoun asked the caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe to make the necessary contacts with the US Embassy in Beirut and the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, to obtain the evidence and documents which prompted the US Treasury to press charges and impose sanctions against against Gebran Bassil,” the presidential statement said.
Aoun also stressed on the necessity to hand over the documents to the Lebanese judiciary to take the necessary measures in the event that any allegations are available.
In September, Aoun issued similar instructions after Washington blacklisted two former government ministers, Ali Hasan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos over accusations of aiding Hezbollah.
According to Reuters, this is the first time Washington targets a senior member of the Free Patriotic Movement who has close ties to Hezbollah, recognized as a terrorist group by the United States.
Bassil was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets human rights abuses and corruption around the world. According to a US official, the case against him is solid.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that a video of the Lebanese president saying he will resign if any member from his family was involved in corruption is circulating across social media platforms.
