Lebanon’s judiciary was thrown into turmoil this week after investigators uncovered what they described as a sprawling case-brokering ring operating inside the Baabda Justice Palace, Addiyar newspaper revealed.

The affair came to light after police arrested a taxi driver on charges of drug use and trafficking. While examining his phone, investigators discovered the number of a courthouse cleaning worker, identified as Ghazala M., along with photos of judicial investigation reports and conversations related to sensitive cases handled in judges’ chambers, officials said.

Acting on the orders of Mount Lebanon public prosecutor Judge Sami Sader, authorities detained the cleaning worker, who later admitted during questioning that she had been photographing case files for middlemen. Investigators said she used her access to judges’ offices, under the guise of cleaning, to copy documents and forward them outside the courthouse.

The probe has since revealed what officials called a more troubling dimension: the illiterate worker had allegedly been exploited by a highly organized network. According to investigators, a middleman guided her through video calls, reading the files aloud and instructing her on which pages to photograph, effectively turning her into a conduit for a professional operation embedded in the judiciary.

So far, six people have been arrested, while three others remain at large. Investigators warned that the case could widen, potentially implicating court employees and higher-level figures, in what could become one of Lebanon’s most significant judicial corruption scandals in years.

Judge Sader ordered the Information Branch, the Judicial Police and State Security to pursue all suspected of involvement in case brokering, both inside and around the courthouse.