Ministry of Justice (Lebanon)
The Ministry of Justice of Lebanon is a ministry of the Lebanese government responsible for the administration and organization of the judiciary, oversight of the application of laws, preparation of draft legislation, and representation of the Lebanese state before courts. Its institutional origins date back to the establishment of Greater Lebanon under the French Mandate in 1920, and its current structure is governed primarily by Legislative Decree No. 151 of 1983, which remains in force.
Historical background
Following the proclamation of the State of Greater Lebanon by Henri Gouraud the French High Commissioner on 31 August 1920, the administrative framework of the new state was defined by Decision No. 336 of 1 September 1920. This decision established seven central state departments, including the "Department of Justice, Properties, and Endowments", which constituted the precursor of the Ministry of Justice. In October 1920, the department was renamed the Directorate of Justice by a decision issued by then-Governor of Greater Lebanon, Major Albert Trabaud. The directorate was tasked with administering judicial institutions, supervising the enforcement of laws and judicial regulations, and coordinating with French legal advisers. Charles Debbas was appointed as the first Director of Justice on 1 September 1920. The institutional designation underwent several changes during the French Mandate: In December 1920, it became known as the Judicial Service, and in 1924, it was renamed the Directorate of Justice Affairs, and its head assumed the title of Supervisor of Justice. In 1922, a Consultative Legislative Committee was established within the judicial administration to review draft laws and regulations. The committee included senior judicial figures and legal academics from the French Law School in Beirut; its composition was revised in 1923 to include appointed legal professionals and academic representatives.Establishment as a Ministry and post-independence reorganization
Following the promulgation of the Lebanese Constitution on 23 May 1926, Decree No. 5 of 31 May 1926 formally organized the ministries of the Lebanese Republic. The Ministry of Justice was listed as the first of seven ministries and was entrusted with organizing and administering the judiciary, supervising the application of laws and judicial regulations, and proposing decrees related to pardons or sentence modifications. The decree also placed the Council of State and religious courts under the ministry’s authority. In 1932, after the suspension of the Constitution, executive authority was exercised by a "Council of Directors", and the ministry reverted temporarily to the designation of Directorate of Justice.A legislative Decree issued on 22 November 1939 abolished the Directorate of Justice and transferred judicial departments to the Ministry of Interior. This arrangement was reversed in December 1941 with the formation of a new government. The first comprehensive organization of the ministry’s central administration was enacted on 6 March 1944. A subsequent reorganization occurred in 1953, which expanded the ministry’s competencies and created a forensic medicine service. A legislative issued on 5 January 1955 reaffirmed this structure as a cabinet-approved regulatory decree. In 1959, the official designation was standardized as the Ministry of Justice by Legislative Decree No. 111 of 12 June 1959. That same year, responsibility for publishing the Official Gazette was transferred from the ministry to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.