The report published by the Auditing Department in Lebanon
Lebanon, Politics, 4/3/1999

The report published by the Auditing Department in Lebanon which revealed that US $ 600 million had been illegally spent from the municipalities fund has caused a political shockwave.

Reactions towards this shock ranged between blaming the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and three of his cabinet ministers Bassem al-Sabaa, Agoub Demrjian and Fuad al-Sanyoura.

Lebanese President Emil Lahoud denied that the Cabinet would have a political decision in the file of municipalities fund. He explained that the cabinet submitted the Auditing Department report to the Attorney General without taking any stand towards it, leaving it for the law to decide upon it. He stressed that there is no political cover for anyone nor a protection for the one who commits a mistake.

For his part, the Lebanese Prime Minister chose the word " technical" to describe the "Auditing " report. He denied that the report is political and the "submitting of this report to the specialized court, is one of the simplest duties of the authority." Members of the Lebanese Parliament expressed in statements to the Lebanese daily al- Safir in its Friday issue that they are not entitled to talk about this issue, rather to keep silence until the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri "will finish a precise reading of the report."

They added that Berri will leave the matter at the hands of the court to have its own say so as the whole matter will not be politicized. On the other side of the case, the defendant is either silent or tries to give a programmed justification over what had been said in the report. Replying to a question put by the Lebanese daily al Safir, former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri said "I would not comment in one single word." He added he will "return back to Beirut on Wednesday or Thursday, and will leave from Paris to Saudi Arabia on Monday for al-Omra rituals and then he will come back to Beirut as scheduled before."

However, the report of the Auditing Department revealed that the reserves at the independent municipalities Fund were illicitly spent on development projects. Circles close to al-Hariri put certain exclamation marks on the report. First point, that the report revealed that the Funds are available at the Lebanese Central Bank and it is only the Minister of the Municipality Affairs will ask for the money and they will be given to him. And the second point, al-Hariri sources wandered if the contract with Sukleen and Sukomi companies was not fair to the government, then why a decision is not taken to abrogate such a contract. At a news conference held on Thursday at the Lebanese Parliament al-Sabaa, who is also a Parliament member described the report of the Auditing Department as one- sided and biased.

In remarks to the Lebanese Minister of the Interior Micheal al Murr, who was responsible for opening the file of the municipalities Fund, al-Sabaa said "there are great political dimensions to this issue of the report that will become clear in time." Al-Sabaa went on explaining that one reason for the increase of the Sukleen contract's cost was that new municipalities were added to Greater Beirut and thereby raising the number of municipalities which fall under Sukleen's jurisdiction to 256.

Al-Sabaa continued that all contracts signed or modified with Sukleen and Sukomi companies were in line with decisions released by the cabinet and expansion of Sukleen work areas was at the request of the towns and villages after the approval of the Lebanese Cabinet.

Previous Stories:
  On the troubles of al-Hariri   (4/3/1999)

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