Al-Mustaqbal to Propose Draft Law for Comprehensive Settlement on Extra-Budgetary Spending
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc is gearing up to propose an urgent draft law that would call for a comprehensive settlement to the billions of dollars of extra-budgetary spending made since 2006, al-Liwaa daily reported Wednesday.
It said the opposition bloc that is part of the March 14 coalition will propose the draft law in an effort to ward off attempts by the March 8 parliamentary majority of clinching a vote on a $5.9 billion bill on spending made by Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet in 2011.
Al-Mustaqbal will ask Speaker Nabih Berri to put the draft-law on the agenda of a parliamentary session scheduled to be held on Monday, the newspaper added.
The bloc’s sources told An Nahar daily that the spending made by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri was based on the same principles of the $5.9 billion spending of Miqati’s cabinet.
The sources slammed Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun who announced that parliament would only vote on the $5.9 billion bill rather than finding a comprehensive solution to the $11 billion spent by the Saniora and Hariri governments between 2006 and 2009 and a $5 billion spending made by the national unity cabinet of Hariri in 2010.
They accused Aoun of seeking to push the country towards a new crisis.
But Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan told An Nahar that Aoun’s call for voting on the $5.9 billion bill is not aimed at provoking the March 14 forces, including al-Mustaqbal.
Parliament can’t discuss any budget or spending made by the previous governments because the finance ministry and the cabinet haven’t proposed any bill for adoption by the legislature, he stressed.
Despite hints by Aoun that parliament would resort to voting, National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblat said he prefers a solution to be reached in the dispute between the March 8 and 14 MPs ahead of Monday’s session.
“I support finding a solution or a quick way out (of the crisis) and I hope that we don’t resort to the option of voting,” he told An Nahar.
Jumblat also stressed his support to a proposal made by Berri to adopt the $5.9 billion bill by parliament through March 14 support and later on find a way to legalize the $11 billion spent between 2006 and 2009 and the $5 billion extra-budgetary spending of 2010.
As for Miqati’s sources, they told An Nahar that the PM supports any solution proposed by Berri.
The speaker presided a joint meeting of parliamentary committees on Wednesday to discuss a series of draft laws.
29 February 2012, 09:22
11
How can a political party face his supporters and tell them I took 11 billion $ in PUBLIC MONEY (your money) there are no documents whatsoever to explain this huge spending, but we want a law that will wipe all this away or else we will block the nation’s economy, ah and btw don’t forget to vote for us next year?…come on!!
29 February 2012, 19:47
10
Thank you for the very polite reply. It really shows your sense of morale, should I deduce ur a LF?
29 February 2012, 09:46
11
Kesrweneh... you are a complete idiot. The March 8 government spent $5.9 billion in one year alone (2011), while the March 14 government spent $11 billion over 4 years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).
In other words, the M14 government spent $2.8 billion per year, and the M8 government spent $5.9 billion per year. Your M8 government spent TWICE as much per year as the M14 government.
And the M14 government had to deal with rebuilding infrastructure after the war caused by your terrorist Iranian militia.
Can you be any more ignorant?
The Finance Ministry has the documents showing where the money was spent, so stop spreading your hizzy lies.
29 February 2012, 19:51
10
ok firstly y the insults? if you're so sure about your ideas you could have a minimum sense of politness. Secondly, Mrs HAfar never presented any documents showing were the money was spent, just tables and statements of accounts with no supporting documents, and that is the problem. Add to this that in 5 years they did not once ask for permission from the parliament to spend the extra money nor did they give a "kate3 7issab" and that is the problem. and please if your going to answer try and be polite
29 February 2012, 09:46
10
Kesrweneh... you are a complete idiot. The March 8 government spent $5.9 billion in one year alone (2011), while the March 14 government spent $11 billion over 4 years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).
In other words, the M14 government spent $2.8 billion per year, and the M8 government spent $5.9 billion per year. Your M8 government spent TWICE as much per year as the M14 government.
And the M14 government had to deal with rebuilding infrastructure after the war caused by your terrorist Iranian militia.
Can you be any more ignorant?
The Finance Ministry has the documents showing where the money was spent, so stop spreading your hizzy lies.
29 February 2012, 10:46
10
People-power, it seems that you don't understand anything of the story. I guess it is people like you who will keep voting for corruption.
You should learn better what the problem with the 11 Billions is; I am not here to teach kids.
29 February 2012, 12:46
00
Guess what, I voted for the Future in 2009, yes I did but I demand to find out where the money disappeared. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW! Of course, this applies to our latest billionaire in date, aka General Aoun and the other probable thieves.
29 February 2012, 12:57
12
The last budget law was passed in 2005. Since then, the government has been limited at the 2005 budget law expenditure limit, any amount in excess is considered to be additional spending. As such the USD11 billion are the cumulative extra spending above the 2005 budget law level between 2006 and 2009. If you go to the Ministry of Finance’s website you can check how the money was spent. If there has been corruption in the country, then March 8 and March 14 are equally responsible as the country was ruled by national unity governments till January 2011. This whole rhetoric of March 14 stole more than March 8 is just a waste of time. As an example, EDL (Electricite du Liban) costs the treasury around USD2 billion a year, as the budget for EDL is based on USD75 dollars a barrel (when oil is at least 110) and tariffs are based on a USD25 dollars a barrel. Lebanon’s Public Finances are mismanaged, that is not news , no wonder we have huge deficits accumulating over the years.
29 February 2012, 16:11
00
I would like to add that 11 billions during the mentionned years is like 22 billions and more today when you compare the price of gold and lands at this date.
Money has not the same value with time since everything is getting more and more expensive due to inflation.
If the governement would have invested 11 billions in Lands in 2005 or in Gold, we could have made 3 times benefit and almost pay back half of the debt. So as a citizen, we have the right to know how this money has been spent and on what. No matter if it is the fault of 8 or 14. They all insured the kids of their kids for centuries where as it is our children who will pay the price of the debt in the future.
29 February 2012, 19:55
10
I totaly agree exept upon 2 points:
1- the Minister of Finance was always a Future person and that has been the case for decades exept for some expetions
2- there are no supporting docs for the alleged spendings and of course no permit from the parliament just read the report of the world bank it's very clear and self explaining.
29 February 2012, 21:56
11
how do you explain 6 billion spent in less than a year by M8 versus 2.8 billion spent in a year by M14?
seems your M8 friends spend more PUBLIC money than M14 and M14 are the thieves?
explain us your logic when the gvt that spends twice as much is the honest one by not the other?
and tell us where the money was spent by M8?
01 March 2012, 08:38
10
Again, it's not a question of numbers it's aquestion of accountability. this should be a pure financial issue. If corruption is inexistent in those accounts why didn’t M14 submit it to parliament approval from the beginning? For 5 years Sinora, Harriri and co have been spending with no censorship whatsoever, and now they want a political solution for a corruption issue. Sorry but no go the Lebanese people has the right to know how, when and who spent THEIR money.
29 February 2012, 22:25
11
As maa134 states above, you can go to the Ministry of Finance's website to see how the money was spent.
The simple fact is that M8 spent $5.9 billion per year, while M14 spent $2.8 billion per year. Maybe your math skills are not so good, but you can ask someone who has an education, and they will verify that 5.9 is a bigger number than 2.8
Please show us the "supporting documents" on how the $5.9 billion was spent my M8 in 2011. If you can't do that, then STFU
01 March 2012, 08:41
10
the supporting docs are attached to the law project submitted to the parliament as you have noticed no one is contesting the legitimacy of the 5.9 billion as they are fully documented. The problem is no supporting document was presented and no parliamentary licenses were ever granted in the 11billion issue. And again any auditor can tell you without supporting docs tables and statements of accounts are not a proof.
01 March 2012, 12:10
00
Doesn't it bother you being wrong all the time? I know you are just repeating what you are told to say, but don't you ever question your propaganda sources?
Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi said on Wednesday that his ministry “has documents that show how the cabinet expenses [from 2005 until 2011] were disbursed.”
www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=370644
