Lebanon's Passport Scam Unveiled

"Lebanon Debate"


The case involving the discovery of a Lebanese passport with a wanted Palestinian man, Nour Mansourieh, has revealed that he is not the only one possessing a fake passport copy, which is being sold for around 30,000. Security forces have recently thwarted approximately 10 attempts to obtain illegal passports.

Following Mansourieh's apprehension, security forces launched an investigation into the forged documents used in these passports. It was discovered that Mansourieh's passport was issued under the name of Ahmaed A. Assi, residing in Hadith/Baalbek. His passport was issued from the "Special Division" of Public Security Directorate, a division legally authorized to provide facilities for exceptional cases, such as issuing passports for patients who want to undergo treatment abroad, and are unable to personally submit their requests.

However, two soldiers in the department exploited this authorization to bypass regular procedures and facilitate the issuance of illegal passports. They did so by fabricating a "fake" application number, implying it was issued by the Directorate General as a special decision.

Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the names used were fake, and the signature of the head of the village (mukhtar) along with his stamp were also forged. A previous mukhtar from a neighboring village was found to be the one responsible for stamping and signing the documents. He is now considered a crucial figure in the network and is one of the most wanted individuals in this case.

Based on these findings, the two soldiers involved were apprehended. During the investigation, the first soldier disclosed important information, admitting to facilitating the issuance of passports using fake documents while being aware of their illegitimacy. He confessed to collaborating with another soldier to maintain contact with external parties. He claimed his responsibility was to prepare the file and add a fake number to an exceptional decision, typically issued from the directorate, before passing it to his colleague to continue the process.

In return for his services, the soldier received a sum of money, which he needed, and this amount was shared among various parties, including the head of the village. It was also revealed that a third soldier was involved, although no further information has been disclosed about him yet.

A prominent judicial source revealed that the third soldier remains within Lebanese territory, and efforts are underway to apprehend him. The source also stated that the case has been handed over to the military judiciary authorities, and severe punishments await those involved.

In response to the incident and as a measure to combat such occurrences, the Directorate General implemented stricter procedures and imposed severe penalties for any future attempts, in addition to Decree Number 5, issued on March 15, 2024, imposing new measures related topassport requests.

The decree highlighted three items all while exposing irregularities in the passport issuance processes. It acknowledged cases of identity forgery and manipulation of individual registration data, leading to attempts by non-Lebanese individuals to obtain passports using falsified documents. It was also noted that some village heads were issuing residence certificates to individuals outside their jurisdiction and tampering with signatures and registration records.

To address these issues, the Directorate mandated that requests for obtaining or replacing biometric Lebanese passports must be certified exclusively by the mukhtar of registration. This directive faced backlash from city mukhtars, who perceived it as unjust and detrimental to their livelihoods. Citizens, too, expressed concerns and filed complaints with the Ministry of Interior, which was also included in the new measures imposed by the Directorate General.

"الأمن العام" يفكّك قصة تزوير "جواز السفر"