Cabinet Tasks Miqati with Drafting Proposal on 2006-2010 Extra-Budgetary Spending

The cabinet tasked Premier Najib Miqati on Friday with preparing a draft-law on the details of the extra-budgetary spending made by previous governments between 2006 and 2010.

Information Minister Walid al-Daouq said following the cabinet session held at Baabda palace that Miqati will refer the draft-law to the government during its next session on Wednesday.

Media reports had said that the cabinet would discuss an amended draft-law on extra-budgetary spending proposed by Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi after the Change and Reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun held talks with Miqati to introduce changes to it in coordination with Hizbullah and Amal movement.

The reports said the amendments were introduced during a meeting held between Miqati and Ministers Jebran Bassil, Mohammed Fneish and Ali Hassan Khalil on Thursday night.

Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan, who had earlier met with Miqati to protest the “unconstitutionality” of the draft-law, later joined the conferees to review the proposal that sought to legalize the spending made by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri between 2006 and 2010.

The reports said the finance ministry introduced the amendments to it for discussion during the cabinet session. The changes included a request for details on how the spending was made and referring them to the Audit Bureau.

The extra-budgetary spending has been a source of contention between the Hizbullah-led March 8 forces and the opposition March 14 alliance, mainly al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, since the cabinet referred a $5.9 billion 2011 extra-budgetary spending bill to parliament for approval.

The opposition boycotted two parliamentary sessions to thwart the adoption of the bill, conditioning their approval to the settlement of the controversy on the $11 billion spent between 2006 and 2009.

Another $5 billion was spent by Hariri’s national unity cabinet in 2010 but the major controversy lies on the $11 billion spending after the Change and Reform bloc said it was riddled with corruption.

Following March 14’s boycott of the last parliamentary session on Monday, major parties agreed to task al-Safadi with proposing a draft-law to resolve the crisis ahead of a session that is scheduled to take place on March 15.

Kanaan told An Nahar newspaper that the meeting held with Miqati on Thursday “put things back in their legal frame … through the approval of most of the parties” making up the cabinet.

He also said that the finance ministry will have to refer separate draft-laws on the spending of the previous years because the study of accounts is a yearly process.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc leader Fouad Saniora, however, stressed that he hasn’t received a copy of the draft-law, saying he would issue his stance when he reviews it.