Chez Maurice sex trafficker out on bail

Nearly one year after the discovery of the most dangerous sex trafficking ring led by a Lebanese businessman MG owner of Chez Maurice and Silver nightclubs in Jounieh east of Beirut, who seized and forced more than 75 girls (mostly Syrians) into prostitution for years (news: http://www.lkdg.org/ar/node/14941), one of the enforcers, Imad Rihawi, was released from jail on Wednesday on bail (LBP 20 million). The next hearing was scheduled for July 7. On the release, Al Akhbar newspaper in its issue of today cited some jurists as saying that the Judiciary and the State were not serious in contending with such a grave criminal case. The Court, they believed, could have taken stricter measures, such as, setting a higher bail amount, holding questioning sessions to keep the convict in detention, or not deferring the court proceedings. On the subject, the head of the Trafficking and Exploitation Unit at KAFA, Ghada Jabbour, disclosed that “not one session of questioning has been held to date, which points to an absence of serious investigations that match the gravity of the case.” Jabbour voiced her fear over a possibility of procrastinating, and eventually laying the case to rest. In the same vein, the General Directorate of State Security busted yesterday a prostitution network in Zahleh, Bekaa, and arrested 4 Syrian girls and one Lebanese man following surveillance by security forces. Another underage Syrian girl who was present with them was referred to the Zahleh Police Station and declared as missing. The adult members of the ring were referred to competent judiciary for further questioning. (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, June 23, 2017)

Related news:
Accusatory decision against ‘Chez Maurice’ human trafficking network in Junieh
75 Syrian girls freed from a Lebanese human trafficking mafia located in Jounieh