In the last two months, KAS Lebanon pursued its engagement towards the empowerment of civil society in Lebanon through the organization of four main events, each tackling issues deemed of the uttermost importance in the context of the political, socioeconomic and financial crisis the Cedar country has been facing since October 2019. These four projects were all conducted and brought to an end with the help of reliable partners sharing KAS’s engagement for Freedom, Justice and Solidarity.

One of this events was “Legal Pathways for Fighting Corruption”, a series of four training sessions directed at participants selected based on strict criteria and aiming to teach them about reporting against corruption, and collecting and submitting dossiers. Each participant would receive the basics of political and legal education of the Lebanese system and the tools to initiate legal procedures. Trainees would also be guided to choose a specific corruption case to tackle. After each participant and group chose their cases, they saw themselves provided with legal and technical assistance, enabling them to build and complete their cases. Once the trainee’s cases were built and in motion, they were led to present them to Lebanese and international legal authorities in order to receive support, advice and guidance.

The four sessions were organized along the following framework:

•             Session 1: Introduction to the State and its Institutions

•             Session 2: Introduction to the Lebanese Judiciary

•             Session 3: How to prepare an administrative review and / or judicial action/lawsuit?

•             Session 4: Practical applications and presentations

The sessions discussed several issues such as the definitions of the concepts of state and power, the evolution of the Lebanese constitution and administration, and the mechanics of the Lebanese judiciary system. Case submissions were held on the last session.

 The project started on February 1st, 2021 and brought to completion by KAS on April 15th, 2021. 

These sessions were expected to increase and enhance the participants practice, knowledge and sense of accountability when it comes to Rule of Law and Good Governance. Cases were also expected to be filed and put in motion at the end of the project, leading to the formation of at least 12 anti-corruption ambassadors to be trained individually in order to identify and report corruption cases, serving as a guarantee for the application of Rule of Law and Good Governance on the part of local and national authorities. Each session was followed by a thorough report on the discussion of the day, with a large majority of trainees declaring themselves satisfied with the provided content.

The project is expected to serve as a milestone for the democratization of educational forums and to support the fight against corruption on the long term through information and technical training.