Political victories in this country are always up for inspection and interpretation -especially when everyone seems to come out a winner. But there’s something different about this story.
Judge Maher Shaito has just been appointed financial prosecutor. The cold, quiet tug of war over this seat turned hot in June when the political clash between Justice Minister Adel Nassar and Speaker Nabih Berri broke into the open.
Since stepping into the Justice portfolio, Nassar has pushed back hard against Berri’s pressure to appoint Judge Zaher Hamadeh—a close ally-to the powerful post traditionally held by a senior Shiite judge. Nassar made it his mission to insulate the judiciary from political interference, scoring tangible wins along the way: reopening the Lukman Slim case, unlocking Judge Tarek Bitar’s stalled port blast probe, and passing the judicial independence law in cabinet.
But perhaps the most defining of these battles was the one over the financial prosecutor—a role central to corruption cases and public trust in justice. Hamadeh was one of six names technically eligible. For Nassar, that wasn’t enough.
His proximity to Berri was a red line.
The confrontation escalated. Berri and his allies dug in.
Reformist ministers and Kataeb backed Nassar. The deadlock dragged for months and nearly derailed the broader round of judicial appointments. But in the end, Berri negotiated -and had to settle for an alternative candidate selected by Nassar in coordination with the Higher Judicial Council.
In Lebanon, seniority and survival in public life rarely come without political alignment or appeasement. For Shiite officials in particular, “good relations” with Berri-going back to the days of Syrian hegemony-have long been the unwritten rule of career advancement.
That said, we need to be realistic and take our wins where we can. What Berri built over three decades won’t be undone from the bottom up. But battles that force him to settle and make concessions are not nothing. They mark a shift. And a new reality in the final chapter of Berri’s career.