Hazem Al-Amine

Minister of State for Administrative Development Mohammad Fneish did not put his resignation at the prime minister’s disposal as a scandal erupted about his brother Abdellatif falsifying the health minister’s signature on documents allowing the importation of certain medications. This holds true despite the fact that Fneish is the minister for administrative development and represents a party that has long claimed to be wholly unattached to any worldly prestige and prosperity.

The least Fneish could do is to put his resignation at the cabinet’s disposal until the results of the investigations into his brother’s involvement [in the case] come up. Fneish did not deny the facts and merely said that he is not providing his brother with any cover. However, the acts of forgery were committed during Fneish’s ministerial tenure, which means that it is possible – and rather likely – that the person who committed this forgery has taken advantage of the fact that his brother is a minister. Fneish did say that he had no knowledge of his brother’s forgery activities, but this is not enough since [Abdellatif] has quite likely taken advantage of his brother’s influence.

Abdellatif Fneish actually had a tremendous clout in the Ministry of Health. Al-Akhbar reported that the man could complete formalities there faster than anyone else, which drove many companies to have recourse to his services in return for paying him a certain percentage.

Abdellatif Fneish is the brother of Hezbollah MP and Minister Mohammad Fneish and enjoys great influence within the Ministry of Health, which is led by Amal Movement Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, and Abdellatif Fneish stands accused of major forgery in that ministry today. How should this news translate in the minds of a Lebanese newsreader? The scenario is pretty obvious: The person who committed the forgery used his brother’s name to extend his clout within the Ministry of Health, which is steered by a minister hailing from a party that is allied with his brother’s party. In other words, the health minister also has to put his resignation at the prime minister’s disposal until the results of investigations [into the matter] come up, as what we have at hand is by no means a traditional corruption scandal. Two major parties that have taken over the cabinet are behind this operation. These parties are power in the making; rather, they epitomize power and they were taken by surprise by a brother who forged medication that could have poisoned the Lebanese people.

In this case, the fact that Minister [Mohammad Fneish] is the brother of a man who committed forgery takes precedence over the fact that [Abdellatif Fneish] has committed forgery, since the negative implications of the first statement are far more potent…
 
Assuming that Mohammad Fneish, as a brother and minister, is not corrupt, which has now come into question, he is certainly not a wise minister for as long as he does not put his resignation at the prime minister’s disposal. In fact, the scandal is far too big and obvious to be glossed over, and its personal implications on the minister [in question] can only be addressed by his resignation. Hezbollah, however, will not escape the political repercussions, which indicate that the party is now engrossed in the worldly pleasures provided by power. In Hezbollah’s consciousness, power is exemplified by Damascus and Tehran where corruption is widespread, but this still did not make any dent in [Hezbollah’s] speech… hence the fact that there will be no resignation.

Note: The judiciary issued a search warrant inquiring after the whereabouts of the minister’s brother, which means that the man is gone into hiding. Where could he possibly be?

This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Friday November 16, 2012