Bahij Tabbara | |
---|---|
Minister of Justice | |
In office 2003–2004 | |
Prime Minister | Rafik Hariri |
Minister of State for Administrative Reform | |
In office 2001–2003 | |
Prime Minister | Rafik Hariri |
Minister of Justice | |
In office 31 October 1992 – December 1998 | |
Prime Minister | Rafik Hariri |
Minister of Economy and Commerce | |
In office April 1973 – June 1973 | |
Prime Minister | Amin Al Hafez |
Personal details | |
Born | 1929 (age 94–95) Beirut, Lebanon |
Political party | Future Movement |
Spouse | Hoda Kyriakos Saad |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | |
Bahij Tabbara (born 1929) is a Lebanese jurist and politician who held various cabinet posts and was a member the parliament of Lebanon. He was among the close allies of Rafik Hariri.
Tabbara was born in Beirut in 1929. [1] [2] He received a degree in law from Saint Joseph University in Beirut and a PhD in law from the University of Grenoble in France. [2]
Following his graduation Tabbara began to work as a lawyer from 1954. [1] He was also the private lawyer and legal adviser of future Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. [3] [4] He taught at Lebanese University and Saint Joseph University in Beirut. [1]
Between April and June 1973, Tabbara was the minister of economy and commerce in the cabinet led by the prime minister, Amin Al Hafez. [5] The appointment of Tabbara and another Sunni Zakariya Nsouli caused controversy in the general public and they were forced to resign. [5] They both resigned from the office together with Al Hafez. [5] Tabbara was involved in drafting the election law of Lebanon in the 1990s. [6] On 31 October 1992, he was named as the minister of justice in the first cabinet of Rafik Hariri. [7] Tabbara held the post in the subsequent cabinets of Hariri until December 1998. [2] He was the minister of state for administrative reform between 2001 and 2003. [2] He was again appointed minister of justice in 2003 [8] and held the post for one year. [2]
In 2005, Tabbara was elected to parliament from the Future Movement. [1] The same year, after the assassination of Rafic Hariri, he was cited as one of the potential candidates for the premiership. [9] In May 2019, he was also proposed as the prime minister following the resignation of the Lebanese government led by Saad Hariri, but he declined the offer. [10]
In addition to his academic and political activities Tabbara was one of the shareholders of the companies, mostly real estate companies, owned by Rafik Hariri. [3] [11]
Tabbara married Hoda Kyriakos Saad, a lawyer, and they have three children. [1] [2] He is the author of several books and articles on legal topics. [1]
Reporting from Al Shorfa