October 12, 2026
The Lebanese media scene recently witnessed an escalation targeting the Middle East Power Company (MEP) and its Chairman of the Board of Directors Karim Khayyat, following accusations of corruption, forgery, theft of public money and non-compliant spare parts, amid parliamentary demands to open a comprehensive investigation. However, this campaign, which was launched on “MTV” and “Nidaa Al Watan” newspaper, overlooked a fundamental fact, which was that the file was subject to a lengthy and documented judicial investigation.
In detail, the former discriminatory public prosecutor, Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar, investigated an official report submitted by the Electricité du Liban. During his investigations, the judge heard from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of MEP, Karim Khayyat, the General Director of the Electricité du Liban, Kamal Hayek, and the company’s director, Yahya Mouloud, in addition to examining the documents, operation and maintenance reports, and malfunctions recorded in the Zouk and Jiyeh plants. After months of scrutiny, Al-Hajjar concluded that there was no evidence to justify filing a public lawsuit, and decided to preserve the news and close the file as the only official judicial result to date, with the judicial authorities reserving the right to reopen it in the event that new evidence emerges.
On the technical and contractual levels, questions were raised about the supply of spare parts. The data showed that the book of conditions does not obligate the company exclusively to purchase from the “MAN” company, but rather allows it to purchase from its approved suppliers and companies, while adhering to “OEM” specifications, which negates the accusation of fraud or illicit enrichment as a result of low prices compared to the primary manufacturer, unless the objectors present certificates of origin and examinations proving non-conformity.
As for technical malfunctions, the technical investigation of the Electricité de France “EDF” showed that the malfunction of the “Turbocharger” device in the third group at the Jiyeh plant in 2021 was due to the poor quality of fuel, which was approved by the Board of Directors of Electricité du Liban. On the other hand, the technical investigation is still ongoing into the failure of the crankshaft in the ninth group in the Zouk plant to accurately determine the responsibilities. Regarding the transfer of the “Turbo” device, the procedures indicated that it is an operational measure to return an already stopped group to production, and does not constitute the destruction of a group worth 19 million euros. In the maintenance file, it was found that the contractual deadlines are linked to operating requirements that range between 30,000 and 40,000 hours, in addition to the presence of financial guarantees provided by the company to cover proven faults.
These developments are of great importance in light of the state’s urgent need to restart the Zouk and Jiyeh plants to provide about three additional hours of electrical supply daily, which contributes to reducing the private generator bill that burdens citizens. This reality raised questions about the reasons for the MTV management and Michel Murr’s insistence on disrupting the operation of the two factories through campaigns that ignore judicial rulings, especially since the previous campaigns that targeted Judge Al-Hajjar against the backdrop of his decision ended in a settlement after a personal complaint without him.
In conclusion, the follow-ups stressed that freedom of the press and criticism guarantees the disclosure of documents, but it does not grant any media outlet the power to override judicial decisions or appoint itself as a judge, stressing that the proper path to any accusation is through submitting new evidence exclusively to the Public Prosecution.
