A counterfeit $20 banknote was enough to expose a case of counterfeit currency promotion. From inside one of the shops in Buqata Market, investigations were launched that led to the seizure of hundreds of counterfeit dollars, before conflicting testimonies revealed the details of the case.
On April 11, the Beiteddine police station began its investigations, after “Majid D.” was arrested in the town of Buqaata, in possession of an amount of 430 counterfeit US dollars, and “Omar D.” was arrested in possession of an amount of 40 counterfeit dollars.
During the initial investigations, “Majed” claimed that the counterfeit sum of $430 that was found in his possession was found on the ground, denying any connection to it or that he had handed over to “Omar D” any counterfeit sums, stressing that he does not deal in such matters.
On the other hand, “Omar” reported that on the evening of April 11, he entered a shop selling quails in Buqaata Market, and paid a $20 US dollar bill, before the municipal police stopped him directly in front of the shop after its owner discovered that the bill was counterfeit. He added that he also had another paper of the same denomination that turned out to be forged, explaining that he had obtained the two amounts from “Majid” without knowing that they were forged.
The interrogator indicated that he asked “Majed” to lend him a sum of money to buy diapers for his 17-year-old son, who has special needs, so he handed him $40 and drove him in his car to the Baqaata market, adding that when he left the store he discovered that “Majed” had left the place, and he also explained that it was not the first time he had borrowed sums of money from him.
When confronting “Majid” with “Omar’s” statement, he admitted that he had previously provided him with financial assistance, and that the latter was with him in the car on the day of the accident when he asked him to stop in the market to buy some supplies.
Before the investigating judge in Mount Lebanon, Joel Issa Al-Khoury, “Majed” denied that he was peddling counterfeit currency, stressing that he handed Omar $40 as a debt without knowing that it was counterfeit, and that he did not know how to distinguish between valid and counterfeit currency. He added that he had received the counterfeit money from customers buying clothes and bags from his shop, without being able to identify the person from whom he had received it, noting that he had thrown the money on the ground when he was arrested.
In turn, “Omar” denied before the investigating judge what was attributed to him, explaining that his wife died six months ago and that he had become the sole provider for his son with special needs, and that he had borrowed the amount from “Majed” and was later surprised that it was forged.
At the conclusion of the investigations, Judge Al-Khoury issued her indictment, deeming that the acts attributed to “Majed D” applied to the felony of Articles 440/443 of the Penal Code. She referred him for trial before the Criminal Court, and prevented the trial from “Omar,” as it was not proven that he knew that the forty dollars he borrowed was counterfeit.
