Siniora fires back at Aoun-Nasrallah accusations

Head of the Future Parliamentary Bloc, Fouad Siniora, said on Wednesday that recent accusations made by March 8 officials, topped by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun, reflect an attempt to sow doubts and to place the responsibility for the current financial situation on his then government.    

March 8 officials had accused the Siniora government of keeping Arab donations and contributions, destined to repair the damage caused by the 2006 July war, in private bank accounts.    

Siniora explained in a detailed statement that the relevant Arab contributions, estimated at $1. 174 Billion USD, were deposited in the Lebanese Central Bank on behalf of the Higher Relief Committee and that donor countries had the right to a joint signature.     

Siniora added that his cabinet based its actions on legal texts issued by the parliament and which authorized it to spend loans and donations in line with legal provisions adopted by the lenders or donors, provided that the expenditure be later audited by the Auditing Bureau.