Accountability in Lebanon: Geagea's critique of government procrastination

Samir Geagea, the Lebanese Forces party leader, saw "that the deterioration occurring in the state is due to two reasons: first, the existence of a team preventing the establishment of an actual state, and second, the presence of some officials, who are not responsible, contributing through their actions to further deterioration in the state."

He indicated that the most evident example at this level is what has been happening for about a year and a half in the real estate departments in Mount Lebanon. 

"Despite the condemning, denouncing, and rejecting stances, and despite the meetings, gatherings, and follow-ups, the crisis continues to revolve in the same empty circle, without taking practical and serious steps to restore things in these departments to their normal state," he said.

Geagea mentioned, "This situation has resulted in suspending about a hundred thousand transactions in these departments, with estimated losses of about one trillion Lebanese pounds monthly."

He added, "We hold the government in general and the Ministry of Finance, in particular, responsible for the procrastination, first, in not finding the required solutions to reopen the real estate departments, second, in not making the necessary and sufficient efforts, third, in not taking strict and decisive measures, and fourth, in not establishing a mechanism to regulate the work of these departments."

Moreover, Geagea considered, "All the technical excuses are invalid because if they were truly technical, they should have been resolved months ago."

"There is no justification, neither near nor far, for this ongoing closure of the real estate departments in Mount Lebanon, especially since their closure has led and continues to lead to the suspension of 63 economic facilities directly linked to these departments," Geagea stated.

He emphasized the necessity of setting a clear and very rapid roadmap to reopen the real estate departments today rather than tomorrow, and the Minister of Finance bears direct responsibility for the delay and the financial and economic losses resulting from the closure of these departments.