The RTA's reopening raises questions about corruption in Lebanon's public sector

Opening the Road Traffic Authority (RTA) in Dekwaneh has brought back memories of bribery, brokerage, and strikes after six months of closure due to judicial arrests and corruption files.

The Internal Security Forces (ISF) members opened the RTA and assigned thirty officers and staff to various departments. They inspected the cars and handled the transactions between the buyer and seller, which resulted in registering 206 cars in Dekwaneh alone.

On the first day of the reopening of the RTA and especially the vehicle registration and licensing department, the state treasury earned an amount of LBP 1.2 billion.

However, the situation is different in reality, and the citizens are still confused.

In Dekwaneh, Tripoli, Sidon, and Zahle, some employees came to work after promises to pay their salaries, which resulted in slower transaction processing. Meanwhile, in Nabatieh, the RTA remained closed due to the non-payment of wages.

Nevertheless, the RTA doors will be open three days a week, every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Transactions will be limited to the registration of imported vehicles, new or used, with the difference being that cars with zero kilometers do not require inspection. In contrast, used vehicles must undergo an examination.

Moreover, citizens must pay attention to the car's identification number, as transactions for cars' numbers ending in 0, 1, 2, or 3 are handled every Tuesday, and those ending in 4, 5, or 6 are conducted on Wednesday. Those ending in 7, 8, or 9 are conducted on Thursday.

In addition, citizens must bring their customs certificate, residence certificate, and ID. If they require the "seller-buyer" agreement to be authenticated, they can do so at the RTA in the presence of both parties. Other services will be activated gradually.