Lebanon’s prosecutor orders graft probes
All ministers since 1990 face inquiry over wasting public funds
Lebanon’s financial prosecutor yesterday ordered sweeping investigations into suspected corruption and waste of public funds by senior officials, the state National News Agency reported.
The move comes as a nationwide protest movement over poor services, economic woes and corruption entered its fourth week.
Financial prosecutor Ali Ebrahim has launched probes into customs authority chief Badri Al Daher over suspected “waste of public funds”. It said he had ordered an inquiry into “all the ministers of successive governments since 1990”.
Siniora grilled
Yesterday, the prosecutor questioned former premier Fouad Siniora for three hours over $11 billion allegedly spent during his period in office from 2006 to 2008.
Meanwhile, outgoing Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri met President Michel Aoun without announcing progress towards forming a new government, as banking sources said most financial transfers out of the country remained blocked.
BEIRUT. Lebanon’s Saad Hariri, who resigned as prime minister last week, had a ‘positive’ meeting with leading politician Gebran Bassil on Wednesday and all ideas were discussed for getting the country out of economic crisis, a source close to Hariri said.
“All ideas were put on the table for what would be best for Lebanon to come out of the economic crisis and what would best heed the calls made by protesters in the past three weeks,” the source said.