Aoun’s Bloc and Hizbullah Accuse al-Mustaqbal of Circumventing the Law
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan reiterated on Friday his rejection of attempts made by the opposition March 14 forces and mainly al-Mustaqbal movement to find a comprehensive solution to extra-budgetary spending made by previous governments since 2006.
Al-Mustaqbal bloc lawmakers Jamal al-Jarrah and Ghazi Youssef proposed an urgent draft-law to parliament to legitimize the extra-budgetary spending made by the cabinets of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri between 2006 and 2010 and the government of Premier Najib Miqati in 2011 after the current cabinet referred its $5.9 billion bill to the legislature for approval.
Al-Mustaqbal’s proposal “is an unfortunate heresy that violates all democratic and parliamentary rules,” Kanaan told An Nahar daily. “This proposal should come from the government because it is linked to public funds.”
Although Hizbullah, which is the main ally of Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc, has remained officially mum on the dispute over the spending, its mouthpiece al-Manar TV said in its Thursday evening newscast that the March 14 forces led by al-Mustaqbal were seeking to legitimize the $11 billion extra-budgetary spending made by the Saniora and Hariri cabinets between 2006 and 2009 by pressuring the March 8 forces into carrying out a bargain that would settle the $5.9 billion spent by Miqati’s Hizbullah-led cabinet.
The station stressed that the $11 billion funds had vanished and no document proves where the money was spent. It also accused the opposition of seeking to “circumvent the law.”
An additional $5 billion was spent by Hariri’s national unity cabinet in 2010 but the controversy lies on the $11 billion.
Despite claims made by the Change and Reform bloc and Hizbullah that there was no proof on how that amount was spent, Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi has stressed that he has all the data and the documents on the extra-budgetary spending.
MP Youssef also denied the claims in remarks made to Voice of Lebanon radio station 100.5.
02 March 2012, 09:06
22
I f Mr.Safadi does have those docs why don’t he submit them to the same auditing system he submitted his 5.9billion to? And what are those docs tables and figures without supporting docs or some real accounting? And why is Siniora so eager to close this file swiftly, any concerns his deep corruption might be revealed to the voters? If Mr.Siniora is so confident why didn’t he submit his spending to the parliament like Mr Safadi is doing? If his accounts are this transparent why did the World bank and oracle report strongly accused the ministry of finance of corruption and lack of transparency?
02 March 2012, 10:54
20
It's funny - we're talking about billions which belong to the Lebanese people, and yet few, if any, seem to care.
02 March 2012, 11:10
02
just refer the issue to the justice with a international accounting company and let the justice give its verdict
02 March 2012, 11:46
21
until now, they still have not said where is this money gone. they just say it has been sent the same way the 8900 have been spent etc.. ignoring that it's all about where is this money gone and nothing else. it is quite obvious they are in panic mode.
02 March 2012, 13:08
20
Istagfara allah al azim.The public money is our tax money. It is the money of the majority of the 70% of poor lebanese .Siniora F needs to present an account of the 11 billion not only to the parliament but to the majority of lebanese.There are corrupt politicians in Lebanon both in 14 and 8 of mars and they need give account of what they have done with our tax money.
02 March 2012, 13:48
01
a financial homs...lebanese baba amr.
may god give our army enough wisdom to evade the storm.
02 March 2012, 13:51
11
Less of 1 year of Miqati $5.9 Billions vanished, 5 Years of Hariri/Saniora $11 Billions vanished, how lucky are the Lebanese people. And when they elect, they choose between those same people. Something must have gone terribly wrong
02 March 2012, 14:39
01
Hizbo and Aoun what a duet? go get a life (preferably in Iran or Syria)
02 March 2012, 16:25
02
Those who break the law have no place in giving input on the rule of law. In other words, Aoun and his Iranian proxy malitia need to zip it and obey the Lebanese law.
