Lebanon’s judiciary has undergone a significant transformation since the election of President Joseph Aoun and the formation of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government, with political changes at the top of the state directly reshaping a judicial system long weakened by political interference, paralysis, and selective immunity.

According to an article published by Asharq Al-Awsat, the shift has restored much of the authority the judiciary had lost over recent years and opened the door to pursuing long-stalled cases that political obstruction and protections for powerful figures had previously kept out of reach.

Observers say the change has been evident both in performance and in the broader climate governing judicial work. The process began with a series of appointments to key posts, most notably the confirmation of Judge Jamal Hajjar as public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation and the appointment of Judge Ayman Oueidat as head of the Judicial Inspection Authority, a central body responsible for oversight and accountability.

The appointments also completed the membership of the Higher Judicial Council — with the exception of its president, Judge Suhail Abboud — and filled long-standing vacancies at the Court of Cassation, its general assembly and the Judicial Council.

For the first time, senior political leaders did not impose judges aligned with them in sensitive positions, allowing appointments to be made on strictly professional grounds, the sources said.

A senior judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the momentum seen in courts and justice palaces since the start of the new judicial year in mid-September has confirmed the soundness of these choices. The source pointed to a clear shift in the conduct of public prosecutors, including closer scrutiny of complaints and an effort to avoid hasty decisions, particularly in cases involving pretrial detention.

The change has also been reflected in the work of investigating judges and indictment panels, as well as in a faster pace of trials across all levels of the court system.

“2025 was the year in which the judiciary regained its authority,” the source said. “2026 is supposed to be the year of harvest.”

In the new climate, cases can no longer be buried under what the source described as political vetoes. The phase has effectively ended the practice of undeclared immunity, enabling judges to take decisive action in high-profile cases.

Among the most notable was the detention of former economy minister Amin Salam for more than six months in a corruption case, and the prosecution of former industry minister and current MP George Bouchikian after parliament lifted his immunity. Bouchikian is being tried in absentia after fleeing the country.

The judiciary has also reopened sensitive banking files, leading to the arrest of former central bank governor Riad Salameh for a full year before his release on an exceptionally high bail of $11 million. Tarek Khalifa, the chairman of a bank’s board, remains in detention.

The judicial source cited several pivotal developments in 2025, including the release of Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, after a decade in detention without trial or formal charges in connection with the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his two companions.

Another milestone was the surrender of singer Fadel Shaker to the judiciary after more than 12 years in hiding in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp.

Regardless of the background of these cases, the source said they shared a single significance: the judiciary has become more independent from political pressure and is making decisions based on judicial conviction rather than political considerations.

Some cases have carried a regional dimension, particularly the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanon. While the Syrian authorities were the ones to raise the matter, the Lebanese judiciary handled it with what sources described as a high degree of responsibility, prioritizing Lebanon’s interests and reducing security risks linked to overcrowded prisons. The judiciary presented political leaders with a framework to resolve the issue, but progress has been slowed by bureaucracy and the need for a new treaty between Beirut and Damascus to allow for the transfer of some or all Syrian detainees back to Syria. The file remains under review.

The judiciary’s transformation has coincided with notable progress on the security front. Large-scale raids were carried out in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, particularly in the Sharawneh neighborhood of Baalbek, where the army clashed with hundreds of suspects and dismantled major drug networks. The operations resulted in the killing of Ali Zaiter, known as “Abu Salleh,” and the arrest of Nouh Zaiter, one of Lebanon’s most notorious drug traffickers. Authorities also seized dozens of drug shipments prepared for export, particularly to Gulf countries.

The judicial source said the combined achievements in the judicial and security spheres “reflect the true picture of Lebanon’s recovery,” emphasizing the importance of recent successes by the army, the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch, and General Security in dismantling espionage networks operating for Israel. Dozens of agents recruited before and during the most recent conflict have been arrested, signaling that, while still in its early stages, the process of restoring state authority is being advanced through the judiciary and security institutions.