Dubai: Lebanese MP and former minister Nicolas Fattoush punched a woman in the neck at the capital’s Baabda Judicial Palace after she refused to prioritise his documents, the Lebanese press reported.
When Fattoush was told by Manal Daou, an administrative officer responsible for processing complaints by lawyers, that she was busy and that he would have to wait for his documents to be processed, Fattoush informed her of his position as a member of parliament and instructed her to prioritise his work, she refused, asking him again to wait, which led Fattoush to raise his voice and began to punch her repeatedly in the neck, reported Lebanese media.
Manal’s colleagues and Fattoush’s bodyguard intervened, and the MP and his bodyguards eventually had to leave.
The Daily Star reports that Manal had filed a lawsuit against Fattoush through the office of the prosecutor.
But later in the day Mount Lebanon Judge Claude Karam sat the two parties down to make up, after which Manal agreed to drop the lawsuit, according to the paper.
The incident has stirred a storm on social networking websites, where activists and citizens vented their anger on Fattoush and expressed solidarity with Manal, especially as the MP was behind submitting a draft law to extend the parliament’s term by 31 months, following the 17-month extension in 2013, Al Nahar reported.
Justice minister Ashraf Rifi has called for an investigation.
