Finance Ministry denies 'hiding' A&M report on BDL audit

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday denied accusations that it has “hidden” a report submitted by the Alvarez & Marsal international auditing firm.

“In the face of the fake news that media outlets are circulating about the report of the Alvarez & Marsal firm related to the forensic audit into the central bank’s accounts, the Finance Ministry’s press office would like to clarify that what the Finance Ministry has received from the A&M firm is merely a draft and non-final copy of the forensic audit’s preliminary report,” a statement said.

“The contract with the A&M firm was signed with the Lebanese government represented by the finance minister, and according to the contract’s terms the Finance Ministry’s role is limited to coordination between the central and the auditing firm, not more than that,” the statement added.

“Accordingly, the report belongs to the Lebanese government and not the Finance Ministry, which requires that it be handed the final version upon its finalization, and accordingly using its content falls under the government’s jurisdiction,” the statement said.

The Ministry also stressed that claims alleging that the report mentions “economic, financial and political figures -- especially Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker PM Najib Mikati and Lebanese and non-Lebanese figures -- are totally baseless.”

The Nidaa al-Watan newspaper has reported that the report consists of around 330 pages and is supposed to preliminary specify the types and dates of the possible financial crimes.