Court of Audit sends Hamieh a memorandum about the new airport terminal's legal basis

On Friday, Lebanon's Court of Audit sent a memorandum to the Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh, requesting information regarding the construction of a new airport terminal.   

 

The Court of Audit requested Hamieh to answer the inquiries within a week from the date of issuing the memorandum, asking him about the legal basis on which the contracting was relied upon as indicated in the public procurement law, the partnership law between the public and private sectors, and the method in which the contracting took place, namely the public tender and solicitation of bids.   

The memorandum also asked him to name the company with which the contract was concluded, the execution deadline, the expected time limit for completing the project, all the paperwork, and if any studies were conducted regarding earthquake resistance.

In a press conference, Hamieh addressed on Wednesday the contract for the construction of the new passenger terminal, which is set to be completed in four years, since he was the subject to criticism, as there was no tender for the project.   

The new terminal's project, which the private sector will entirely finance, had not yet been approved by Public Procurement Authority. However, Ali Hamieh explained that after researching Lebanese laws, they learned that Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is subject to the "airport fees" law.