ENABLER
Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Former President of Lebanon
Ex-Army Commander and Civil War Faction Leader. Judicial probes and media say he tolerated widespread graft among loyalists and deflected blame for scandals while his family faced corruption allegations. Aoun's presidency ended amid economic ruin, political deadlock, and continuing investigations into state embezzlement and the Beirut port disaster.
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"Marketed as a reformist 'strongman,' Aoun left behind a divided nation and failing institutions."
Evidence & Activities
PERVASIVE CORRUPTION CHARGES
- Alleged to have diverted public funds abroad via family accounts since the 1980s, now a subject of judicial probes.
- Son-in-law Gebran Bassil, a U.S.-sanctioned figure, leveraged Aoun's political patronage to dominate ministries, accused of corrupt enrichment.
- Accused of shielding criminal graft among loyalists and securing sectarian loyalty.
HEZBOLLAH ALLIANCE & POLITICAL OBSTRUCTION
- Aligned with Hezbollah during presidency, facilitating its political and military dominance; blocked judicial actions against Hezbollah.
- Free Patriotic Movement, his political faction, implicated in shielding Hezbollah's illicit economic activities.
BETRAYED PROMISES & FOREIGN ALLIANCES
- Alliance with Hezbollah and support for Assad regime isolated Lebanon, entrenching Iran's influence and isolating Lebanon from critical Western and Gulf partners.
- Supported the Assad regime in Syria's civil war, further damaging Lebanon's international standing and driving away investment.
- Massive protests in 2019 blamed Aoun and his policy reversals for plunging Lebanon into record poverty, inequality, and infrastructural collapse.
LEGACY OF CRISIS & PARALYSIS
- Oversaw Lebanon's economic collapse and the Beirut port explosion.
- Left a fractured state with ongoing economic and political instability.
- Multiple ongoing corruption and negligence investigations.
End of Dossier
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