Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati asserted on Saturday that the Higher Relief Committee (HRC) will carry out its duties despite the difficulties that have been affecting the committee.
Mikati's comments were made during a meeting with HRC's employees, stressing that the committee served all Lebanese people without exceptions.
He also said that the Lebanese courts will deal with the issue of HRC's chief Ibrahim Bashir with justice and transparency.
Last Month, Ibrahim Bashir was arrested along with his wife on the order of acting State Prosecutor Samir Hammoud for allegedly embezzling public funds. Bashir has denied all the allegations. Sources told LBCI that Bashir transferred funds to a private account in a private bank which in turn notified the anti-money laundering body about the transfer. Last week, media reports stated that Bashir transferred public funds amounting to $10 million to private accounts abroad, among which some $3.6 million transferred to an account in Belarus, where his son lives. The HRC is a governmental institution that falls under the authority of prime minister’s office and works closely with humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR.