Lebanese justice issued a 30-day search and investigation notice targeting businessman Antoine Sehnaoui. The Attorney General of the Court of Cassation, Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, suspects him of having maintained relations with Israel and of having violated the Lebanese law on the boycott of the Hebrew State. The decision comes after an analysis of a photograph widely distributed on social networks, showing Antoine Sehnaoui at the same table as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the judicial authorities, the technical expertise concluded that the cliché was genuine and had not been subjected to any digital manipulation or artificial intelligence.
A 30-day notice issued
The Attorney General of the Court of Cassation, Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, ordered the issuance of a 30-day search and investigation notice against Antoine Sehnaoui.
According to information provided by the National Information Agency (NNA), this measure is part of an investigation into suspected relations with Israel and a possible violation of the Lebanese law on the boycott of Israel.
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The search notice allows the security services to locate the person concerned and to carry out the investigative acts requested by the judicial authority. It is not a conviction or a conviction, but a measure taken in the context of the ongoing investigations.
No official information has been provided on any convocation, hearing or appearance of Antoine Sehnaoui before the judicial authorities at the time of publication of this decision.
A photograph at the origin of the procedure
The survey is based on a photograph widely shared over the last few days on social networks.
The photograph shows Antoine Sehnaoui attending a meal at which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appears. The dissemination of this image had generated many reactions in Lebanon, several Internet users doubting its authenticity, while others called for an investigation.
In response to these questions, the prosecution requested technical expertise to determine whether the photograph had been artificially modified or generated.
According to the conclusions of the technical office responsible for analysing digital information, the photograph is authentic. The experts indicated that it had not undergone any digital modification, photographic editing and had not been created using artificial intelligence technologies.
These findings constitute the element that led the Attorney General to formally initiate judicial proceedings.
Suspects of relations with Israel
The prosecution has two main qualifications in this case.
The first concerns the suspicion of relations with Israel, a qualification provided for by Lebanese law when a citizen is suspected of having had prohibited contacts with Israeli officials or institutions.
The second concerns a possible violation of Israel’s boycott law, which has been in force in Lebanon for several decades. This legislation prohibits, inter alia, various forms of economic, commercial or contacts with the Israeli State under the conditions laid down in the legislation.
At this stage, the prosecution did not provide any additional information on the circumstances of the meeting on the photograph or on the context in which it was taken.
Nor did he specify whether further evidence would complete the case against Antoine Sehnaoui.
Digital expertise at the heart of the file
Authentication of the photograph is, for the time being, the main element made public by the judicial authorities.
The increase in content created or modified through artificial intelligence has led judges to seek technical expertise more frequently before the opening of certain sensitive procedures.
In this case, the specialists examined the file in order to look for possible traces of digital manipulation, assembly or alteration of the image.
According to the press release provided by the National Information Agency, no changes were detected. The experts concluded that the photograph corresponded to an authentic document.
However, this expertise alone does not prejudge the existence of an infringement. It only establishes that the image analysed has not been falsified.
The investigation will now have to determine the exact circumstances of the meeting, the date on which it took place, its framework and possible legal implications.
A procedure closely followed
The case is receiving significant attention in Lebanon because of the profile of Antoine Sehnaoui, a well-known figure in business and banking.
The decision of the Attorney General comes at a time when issues related to contacts with Israel remain particularly sensitive in the Lebanese political and security context.
No official reaction by Antoine Sehnaoui or his representatives had been made public at the time of the announcement of the judicial decision.
The authorities did not indicate whether other persons could be heard in the course of the investigation or whether letters rogatory or requests for international assistance would be considered.
The evolution of the procedure will now depend on the investigations carried out by the competent departments during the period of validity of the search and investigation notice.
