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Following the statement issued by the Board of Directors and Investment of the Port of Beirut today, in which the Board claimed that the figures in the investigation published this morning under the title “Salary Scandal in the Port of Beirut Management and Investment Committee: $30,000 Ignites the Country” are “inaccurate,” and that “the figure circulated in the media is many times higher than the actual salary,” without providing any real value or explanatory document to the public. Accordingly, confirms the following:

First, what was published is based on internal information and decisions issued by the Board itself during its initial meetings, including:

  • “Setting the salary of the Chairman of the Board at $30,000 per month,”
  • “Appointing advisors with salaries of up to $7,000,”
  • “Setting an attendance allowance for sessions at $600 per session, at an average of approximately seven sessions per month.”

The Board did not deny issuing this information, but merely described it as “inaccurate,” without providing any alternative figure or clarification of the criteria it adopted.

Second, the real transparency to which the Board’s statement referred is not achieved through general statements, but through specific steps, most notably:

  • “Publishing official decisions immediately upon issuance,”
  • “Explicitly announcing the salary scale, grants, and allowances,”
  • “Providing a detailed disclosure to the public regarding the contracts and concessions reviewed by the Board after its appointment, instead of merely providing general statements that add nothing new.”

Third, suggesting that what was published “is based on inaccurate information,” without detail or providing counter-documents, does not change the reality of the salaries and allowances as stated in the meeting minutes. This issue, in light of the difficult financial situation in Lebanon, raises a legitimate and serious discussion about the priorities of public administration and the management of vital facilities.

Fourth, the threat of taking legal action against the media does not serve the principle of transparency that the Board claims to adopt, but rather reinforces the need for a public discussion about how to manage this vital facility, especially since the Port of Beirut has not yet recovered from the explosion that destroyed a large part of its infrastructure and affected its international image.

In conclusion, the Board’s response did not provide any real refutation, nor did it provide the public with anything that contradicts the published facts, which makes what was stated in the investigation based on established minutes and deliberations. The hope remains that the Board will adopt a fully transparent approach based on publishing all financial and administrative decisions, so that the Lebanese can form their opinions based on facts and not on statements.

Key points of the response of the Board of Directors and Investment of the Port of Beirut to the article:

  • The Board considered the published information about salaries and allowances to be “inaccurate.”
  • It pointed out that the Port of Beirut is a vital facility that is managed according to standards of integrity and transparency.
  • It clarified that the new Board has, since its appointment, begun a comprehensive review of the decisions of the previous Board, including contracts and concessions.
  • It confirmed that the figure circulated regarding the President’s salary is “absolutely incorrect” and “many times higher than the actual salary.”
  • It stressed that the determination of wages is subject to the collective labor agreement signed between the administration and the employees’ union.
  • It pointed out that some media articles are based on “inaccurate information.”
  • It reserved the right to take legal action against anyone who harms the work or reputation of the Board.
  • It requested the media outlet that published the information to publish the clarification in respect for professional integrity.

Highlights of the article published this morning:

  • The article revealed that the Port of Beirut Management and Investment Committee set the salary of its Chairman at $30,000 per month.
  • It pointed to the appointment of advisors with salaries of up to $7,000, and an attendance allowance for sessions of $600 per session, at an average of seven sessions per month, in addition to other allocations and allowances.
  • It pointed out that these decisions were passed with the approval of the representatives of the Ministers of Public Works and Finance, which raised questions about who pushed for the passage of these salaries.
  • It spoke of widespread governmental and political anger that led to the direction to dismiss a number of committee members and replace the ministers’ representatives.
  • It pointed to the opening of an internal investigation to find out how the decisions were made and who voted on them.
  • It discussed the repercussions of these decisions on confidence in the port reform process after the August 4th explosion.
  • It confirmed that the scandal has revived suspicions about the intention to turn the port into a “closed box” away from oversight.
  • It concluded by asking whether this issue will open the door to accountability or will join a long series of files that remained unresolved.