Elias Murr is not the head of INTERPOL!

Everyone exaggerates on their CV don't they?

I'm not talking massive embellishments, like faking a stint at Harvard or a doctorate from Oxford or Georgetown, nothing of the like. God Forbid!

But little alterations, like: "I have straight A’s; I am a highly motivated employee; I was elected employee of the month; and, I was appointed head of INTERPOL."

Those could pass, couldn’t they? It’s just a little frosting - they don’t really mean I’m falsifying credentials!

Well former Minister Elias Murr did it, and he got away with it. It has been over 3 weeks now since he announced that he has been appointed head of the INTERPOL foundation and everybody still believes he is the head of “THE INTERPOL.” 

Nobody looked into it.

Wait a minute! You mean to tell me, that you too thought it was true? So, what if he has a Facebook profile picture saying so? Yes, of course it isn’t true.

Murr was appointed the head of the “INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World,” not the “INTERPOL” itself. They are completely different things.

Yes, the way the news was relayed seemed as though it was legit. But sorry to burst your bubble, it isn’t!

Here’s why:

- The INTERPOL and the INTERPOL foundation are not the same thing. On the 22nd of October, and according to the INTERPOL’s media release INTERPOL Executive Committee unanimously “endorsed” the creation of the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World. Endorse implies that the latter is not created by the former. Therefore, INTERPOL “approves- agrees to- acknowledges” the formation of the foundation and its appointment of Murr.

“Mr. Murr will be in charge of promoting and reinforcing INTERPOL’s strategic priorities in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime, and of supporting INTERPOL's efforts to create a safer and more secure world.”

So, he is not running INTERPOL. He will head a foundation which supports and promotes INTERPOL’s values.

- In addition, the president of the INTERPOL is never appointed. The president is always elected. The structure and governance of the international body is comprised of the President, 3 Vice-Presidents, Secretary General, the Executive Committee and the General Assembly, none of which are appointed. Top ranking positions are elected by the General Assembly whilst the Secretary General is nominated by the Executive Committee and approved by the General Assembly. A simple course on International Organizations would tell you that.

- If you still need proof, then here’s INTERPOL’s structure and governance page where it clearly stipulates that The President of the Organization heads the Executive Committee and is elected by the General Assembly for a period of four years.

- The Current president: INTERPOL’s current President is actually Mrs Mireille Ballestrazzi who was elected at the 81st INTERPOL General Assembly held in Rome in November 2012 and will serve as President until 2016.

Yes, all that fuss over Murr being appointed president of Interpol was for nothing.

He is not heading INTERPOL! He is merely heading a foundation – or better put— a support group which promotes INTERPOL values among regional stakeholders and power groups which has neither a website nor any premises yet.

So, my Lebanese friends get over it! STOP THE GLORIFYING!

And as for my fellow journalists, PLEASE CONSIDER VERIFYING YOUR FACTS!

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/newsandpolitics/520393-elias-murr-is-not-the-head-of-Interpol