Lebanese consul general in Sydney faces new charges

The Lebanese consul general to Australia will re-appear in court Monday, this time over charges of sexual harassment and unfair dismissal, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported Sunday. Robert Naoum and his office have been involved in several legal disputes over the past 18 months, and Naoum will this week face the latest claims, filed by a former woman employee at his office, at the Federal Magistrates Court in Sydney. A failed defamation case last year saw Naoum forced to pay $50,000 in compensation and legal costs, the paper reports, after his claims of diplomatic immunity failed. The current court action began after Naoum and his representatives failed to cooperate with the Fair Work Ombudsman as well as the Australian Human Rights Commission, over the claims of harassment and unfair dismissal, the paper claims. While Naoum’s spokesperson last week told the paper that the consul general could not comment on the reports as the case was before the courts, Melbourne-based The Sun-Herald newspaper says Naoum has denied the allegations of harassment in a letter to the Human Rights Commission. The letter, from September of last year, added that he acted in “compliance with the Lebanese regulation on local employees abroad,” in relation to the dismissal, and that the claims were an attempt to pressure the Lebanese government into a large payout, the Sydney Morning Herald article adds. The Sun-Herald also reported last year that at least a dozen staff members in Naoum’s office are under investigation for allegedly making a profit by selling cigarettes and alcohol bought within the diplomatic tax-free quota, and collecting welfare payments – and in at least one case by claiming unemployment benefits. Reports that the office has also violated tax laws in its system of payment of staff are being investigated by Australian police, the paper also reported last year.