Name of the institution : Council of State

President :
Mr. Ghaleb GHANEM

Address :
Council of State - Law Courts
c/o French Embassy in Beirut
(to the attention of President Ghanem, Ministry of Justice)
Beirut
LEBANON

Phone number :
(961) (1) 42.78.22 (jurisdiction)
(961) (1) 42.78.44 (secretary)

Fax :
(961) (1) 42.77.39

Composition and structure

Number of members :
62 including the President, one " Commissaire du Gouvernement ", four presidents of chamber, 24 councillors of State, 24 deputy councillors and 8 auditors.

Recruitment procedures and incompatibilities :
The members are recruited by the public law section of the National School of Judicature. There is also an exterior recruitment procedure identical to the " tour extérieur " of the french Council of State. The functions of member of the Council of State are incompatible with any other, electoral or governmental, function.

Internal organization :
- Five chambers settling public law litigations ;
- Plenary assembly ;
- An administrative chamber including in some cases all magistrates.

Publications :
- Review of the Lebanese Administrative Jurisdiction;
- Yearly report presented, at the beginning of the judicial year, to the Minister of Justice.

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Court functions

Jurisdiction :
The Lebanese administrative court shall settle all disputes involving an administrative authority. It is competent to hear the actions for annulment against all administrative acts and the demands for compensation for damages caused by the administration's activities.

Organization of the courts system :
The Council of State is judge in first and last instance, or judge of appeal, or judge of cassation. In matters of taxes, the Council intervenes as judge of appeal, in matters of civil service discipline and in regard of the rulings of the Audit Office, as judge of cassation.

Powers of the judge :
Annulment for ultra vires ; reversal ; compensation.

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Advisory functions

Existence and extent of an advisory authority :
The Administrative Chamber has the same consultative functions as the administrative sections of the french Council of State.

Authority and publicity of the advisory opinions :
The most important advices are published.
Except certain rare cases, the advices of the Council of State are followed by the government and the various administrative authorities.

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