Lebanon’s former PM Saad Hariri denies assault allegations in New York lawsuit

Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri, pictured at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon on July 26, 2021. Reuters

Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri on Monday denied allegations made in a New York lawsuit that he sexually assaulted two flight attendants on his private plane in incidents dating back about 15 years.

The lawsuit was filed on March 20 in federal court by two unnamed women who are residents of Australia and Wales.

The complaint lists several incidents that allegedly occurred between 2006 and 2009.

In a statement, Mr Hariri’s media office described the allegations as “completely false and unacceptable accusations aimed at provocation, damage and slander”.

“Prime Minister Hariri will continue to refuse [attempts] to blackmail him into paying the millions of dollars that were demanded from him in return for refraining from filing these legal cases,” the statement said.

The complaint details several alleged assaults, and the two women are seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages.

The lawsuit was filed in an American court because the incidents allegedly occurred within US borders and in the country's airspace, including on the runway at a New York airport.

The case was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that allows victims of sexual assault to file lawsuits even after the statute of limitations for their claims has expired.

The alleged assaults, according to the lawsuit, took place on a plane owned by Saudi Oger, a construction company owned by Mr Hariri.

One woman said that, after she quit her job in 2009, she was not paid in full and was “blacklisted” in the industry. The other plaintiff said she was abruptly terminated in 2010 after requesting time off.

The lawsuit names five other defendants who “aided and abetted” Mr Hariri in his actions.

Mr Hariri is the son of late prime minister Rafic Hariri, who was known for leading Lebanon’s post-civil war reconstruction before his assassination in 2005.