DAILY SCOPE: Internet Scandal Back to Surface, Future Party Backs Internet Scandal Suspect

Local Editor

LEBANESE DAILIES:

AS-SAFIR:

Internet Scandal: Will "Heads" Roll After Fitr Feast?

AN-NAHAR:

Internet Scandal Enters Advanced Stage of Investigations

AL-AKHBAR:

Berri Fears 2005 Scenario Repetition: US Act Law Destroying Lebanon

AL-BINAA:

Yemen towards Guarantees between Houthis, Saudis...Bahrain to Confrontation Once Again

AL-LIWAA:

Race between Hot Summer and New Electoral Law

AD-DIYAR:

Arab Defense Minister: Conflict with Iran to No Avail, Best is to Hit Hizbullah

Salam Angrily: Do Political Parties Know What Dangers Await the Country?

Lebanese newspapers on Thursday shed light on several topics including the ongoing investigations related to the illegal internet scandal that has not seen final outcome yet. The dailies considered that it is important to keep eyes open and make sure that there is progress in the investigation process, so that no one would try to wrap it up and put it on the shelf.

This takes place at a time when Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam voices concerns on the country and its fate as it confronts the many challenges and crises still without a head of state.

AS-SAFIR: Deleted Evidence Missing Link in Chain of Internet Scandal

As-Safir newspaper said on Thursday that a link in the chain of the illegal internet scandal is missing, especially after messing up with evidence (deleting data) that could have been decisive evidence to the case.

According to the paper, there is a big difference between having even a slight possibility of having "Israeli" breach to the internet network or being sure there was no breach in first place.

In March, Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb vowed Wednesday to hunt down illegal internet providers, saying they were linked to Israel and thus posed a danger to Lebanon's national security.

Since it fell under the spotlight in February, the illegal internet scandal had been a hot topic that started to fade with the coming of the municipal and mayoral elections last month as well as the surfacing of other topics such as the rift between the banking sector and Hizbullah.

Questions remain on whether the investigations will be actually carried out and completed to ensure the prosecution of all those involved.

AN-NAHAR: Ministerial Council Must Deal with Banking Sector and Hizbullah Crisis

Ministerial sources told An-Nahar newspaper that it is not possible that the Ministerial Council jump over or ignore the crisis between the banking sector and "Hizbullah" in light of the explosion that targeted the main branch of one of the major banks in the country, BLOM Bank, and the repercussions that followed.

According to the sources, it is no longer acceptable that the government sits aside, and is rather expected to completely resolve the matter and act responsibly to avoid the country falling into a pit of dangerous muddles. It reiterated that the government should show practical steps towards resolving the matter.

AL-AKHBAR: Future Party Exempts Head of Ogero Telecoms Company from Tasks

Well-informed sources told al-Akhbar newspaper on Thursday that the Future party has approved of exempting the head of the Telecoms Company Ogero Abdel Monem Youssef from his tasks, who has already nominated candidates to fill the post. The sources further underscored that head of the Future party was already aware that Youssef might well be red-handed in the illegal internet scandal. Hariri had received evidence from the Public Prosecution increasing the chances of Youssef's involvement in the scandal.

According to al-Akhbar, the Future party refused to discuss the matter, while head of the Future Parliamentary Bloc Fouad Seniora was the staunchest defender of Youssef, and wanted to in fact replace him with his close consultant Nabil Yamout.

Two months after the scandal had surfaced; sources said that the internet file basically includes a group of people who worked in the illegal internet sector, refraining from paying their taxes to the treasury of Lebanon which is estimated with around 200 million dollars every year. Furthermore, according to the source, the scandal includes people such as Abdel Menem Youssef who basically controls the telecoms sector, adding that the latter is protected by "big people" particularly Fouad Seniora.

The scandal, which has not seen real results of investigations so far, includes illegal large communication devices and towers installed in several areas across Lebanon and a 40GB per second bandwidth bought from Turkey and Cyprus and equivalent to 1/3 of the bandwidth set by the Telecom ministry.

Source: al-Ahed News