BEIRUT: A Lebanese court ordered the release Thursday of Bahij Abu Hamzeh, the businessman and former aide of MP Walid Jumblatt, after the maximum holding period for a misdemeanor expired.
But he will remain in prison over another case, judicial sources told The Daily Star.
Abu Hamzeh had been in custody for more than four months, the maximum for committing a misdemeanor. As a result, he was released over a breach of trust and embezzlement case filed by Jumblatt.
The lawsuits came after a dramatic deterioration of relations between Jumblatt and Abu Hamzeh, who used to run the MP’s real estate endeavors and manage his private properties for more than two decades.
The second lawsuit accused Abu Hamzeh of intentionally mismanaging Jumblatt’s properties with the purpose of achieving personal gain. For this case, which was issued recently, Abu Hamzeh will remain in custody until a sentence is issued or until the end of his mandatory custody period.
In addition to the two lawsuits, Hamzeh had also faced charges by the Safa football club that he had been running for years. However, those charges were dropped Monday.
Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat had issued the indictment in the second case against Abu Hamzeh also on Monday which carries a prison sentence of between three months and three years.
The judge had earlier set Hamzeh’s bail at LL20 million ($13,214) for the first case. But his lawyer filed an appeal which was heard and won Thursday, allowing the defendant to be released in that case without paying bail.
The PSP leader had earlier said he was the victim of “organized fraud,” and accused Abu Hamzeh and another businessman of taking advantage of the fact that he was busy with politics and social obligations in order to dupe him.
Abu Hamzeh has been in jail since April, first for the Safa case, then for Jumblatt’s lawsuit.
He is a chemical engineer and a Middle East agent for the U.S. pharmaceutical company Upjohn, and had been living in Paris until 1987, when Jumblatt requested him to return home and manage his properties.
He is also the former head of the Association of Oil Importing Companies.
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