Charles Rizk

Charles Rizk (Arabic: شارل رزق‎‎) (born 20 July 1935) is a Lebanese Maronite politician, who served at different cabinet posts.

Early life and education

Rizk was born on 20 July 1935.^[1] He studied at the prestigious Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris,^[2] and received a PhD in law.^[1]

Career

Rizk was a faculty member at Lebanese University until he joined politics.^[1] He began his political career as an aide to President Fuad Chehab. He was Lebanon's representative at the Francophonie.^[2] Then he became director general of the information ministry in 1967.^[1] From 1978 to 1983 he served as the headof the state television station Tele Liban.^[1]

At the beginning of 2005, Rizk was appointed information minister.^[1] In July 2005, then Prime Minister Fouad Siniora controversially appointed Rizk as justice minister, a post claimed by Michel Aoun and also by Saad Hariri.^[3] The appointment of Rizk, a man close to president Lahoud, was opposed as it was felt that the investigation into the murder of Rafik Hariri would be unlikely to be pursued vigorously by a pro-Lahoud minister. Rizk silenced critics by giving the investigation under UNIIIC-Commissioner Detlev Mehlis his full support while later on he became an outspoken critic of Mehlis' successor Serge Brammertz because of his alleged inactivity in the ongoing investigation.^[2]

Rizk's term as justice minister lasted until July 2008. He was not appointed to the national unity government headed by Fouad Siniora and was replaced by Ibrahim Najjar.^[4]

Rizk was one the candidates for the Lebanese presidency in 2007.^[1]

References