Lebanon is witnessing a crucial stage in its discussions regarding financial affairs, with the draft law on addressing the financial gap, prepared by the government, being referred to the competent parliamentary committees. This step aims to study the law in the Finance and Budget Committee before submitting it to the General Assembly of Parliament. This law is considered one of the most important legislative tools necessary to address the financial collapse and determine the mechanism for distributing losses.
In this context, MP Ibrahim Mneimneh affirmed, in a statement to , that “the approval of the financial gap law is a preliminary step and an acceptable wait at this stage, especially since we are now facing a draft that is open for discussion, and this in itself constitutes an answer to years of near-total absence of any serious proposal from successive governments.”
Mneimneh added: “At least, we are no longer facing attempts to sell illusions or present files without content, especially after the clear position announced by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, regarding the protection of state assets, specifically gold, in addition to forensic auditing, which I believe is like drawing a clear road map for determining responsibilities, and at the same time contributes to clarifying what actually happened in the Bank of Lebanon, and opening what resembles a ‘black box’ that the Lebanese still do not know how it led us to this financial gap.”
He continued: “It is true that there are notes on the draft financial gap law, and some points still need discussion and treatment within Parliament, but it can be said that we are facing a positive starting point, even if it is still in its beginning.”
Regarding what is rumored that the Prime Minister threw the “hot potato” into the Parliament’s court, Mneimneh explained that “Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had promised some time ago to present this project and others, but the reality today is that we are facing a new draft law that we are now forced to deal with, and it is a project that has become clear in its objectives, as external aid remains linked to coordination with the International Monetary Fund, which will not be achieved unless there is a clear law in this regard, hence the matter has become more urgent.”
He concluded by saying: “For us in Parliament, when the law reaches us, there will be a draft open for discussion, allowing political forces to state their positions clearly, and what is not discussed or said within the government can be said frankly within Parliament, where political forces bear their full responsibilities before public opinion.”
