Aoun Says Parliament Call for Public Sector Audit an 'Achievement for Lebanese'

President Michel Aoun on Friday took credit for a parliament decision calling for a financial audit of all state institutions, describing the move as an achievement.

“Parliament’s compliance with our desire to carry out a forensic financial audit of the state’s institutions and administrations is an achievement for the Lebanese who want to know who wasted their funds and encroached on their incomes,” Aoun said in a tweet.

“It is also a bright nod to the international community that has shown solidarity with us in our battle against corruption and waste,” the president added.

In a letter to parliament, Aoun had urged lawmakers to “cooperate with the executive authority to enable the state to conduct a forensic audit of Banque du Liban’s accounts.”

“This audit, with all its international standards, should apply to all of the state’s administrations to achieve the needed reform and implement the aid programs which Lebanon needs in its current and suffocating situation,” the president added.

He warned that failure to carry out the forensic audit might turn Lebanon into a “rogue or failed state” in the eyes of the international community.