From $8.5 to $20 Million: Lebanon's unfinished Olympic-sized pool

Lebanon's ongoing financial crisis has been attributed to many factors, and now a new report sheds light on a startling example of the government's mismanagement of funds.

Lebanon started building an Olympic-sized indoor pool in 2004, but as of 2023, the project remains unfinished. What is worse, the government has reportedly paid a staggering twenty million dollars for the incomplete pool.

However, the project was initially budgeted at $8.5 million, but it has since ballooned to $20 million without completion and requires an additional $10 million to complete it.

This shows the upward trajectory of public money waste in other large and small projects will be more explicit.

Suppose international organizations and countries are informed about Lebanon's mismanagement of funds with the example of this unfinished pool. In that case, they may begin to understand why the Lebanese people are suffering so much.

However, LBCI followed up on this case, and the Youth and Sports Committee has been meeting to address the issue and has decided to form a parliamentary investigation committee and a subsidiary committee to investigate.

Additionally, sources told LBCI that the Court of Audit had received documents and files related to the project to begin its financial investigation.

This unfinished swimming pool project is a shocking example of the waste of public funds and mismanagement of resources in Lebanon.

Thus, while investigations and audits are necessary steps toward accountability, legal action must also be taken against those involved in the mismanagement of public funds.