MP Kanaan to LBCI: The judiciary should start reviewing the forensic audit report, and I will call the Finance and Budget Committee to a session

The head of the Finance and Budget Committee, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, emphasized that "the government has not yet conducted the required comprehensive survey of assets and liabilities, especially for the banks, even after four years of collapse."

On LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, he stated, "I visited the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and told him that I know the responsibility is significant, and this responsibility cannot be shouldered individually. I asked him to call for a meeting with all decision-makers and request full reports from the banks and the Banque du Liban (BDL), specifying commitments and losses."

"The judiciary should start reviewing the forensic audit report, and I will call the Finance and Budget Committee to a session to hear from those concerned about this matter," he mentioned.

Kanaan considered that "the government is required to prepare and send the 2024 budget proposal. Sending the 2023 proposal without a vision and with an eight-month delay is a waste of time of no benefit. It does not align with the required reforms locally and internationally." 

He stated, "I have remarks about what Le Drian proposed, but in reality, he is delivering a blow to the political class. What is required is a unified reading to restructure the banks, reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), ensure the independence of the judiciary, and restructure the public sector. Electing a president without a project, vision, or capability to address these issues will remain ineffective and futile."

He pointed out that "it is necessary to have a roadmap for the presidency before anything else. The president should have solutions, not to a new vacuum. Filling a position formally without addressing the political, financial, and economic issues we suffer from is inadequate."

He highlighted that "no party can bring a president without dialogue. It should not be about imposition and exchange but about pursuing a national and Christian option based on a roadmap that can be implemented in cooperation with forces and blocs so that it does not face its term with obstruction. We need to agree on a salvation for Lebanon."