Lebanese Ministry of Information
Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil Wednesday pledged to crack down on corruption in the ministry’s real estate department and vowed to deliver the 2018 draft budget to Parliament for approval. The minister made the remarks during the opening of the Finance Ministry’s new online real estate service, which was launched at the Real Estate Department.
He added that the days when some civil servants and employees at the Real Estate Department violated the law with complete impunity were over.
The minister was referring to some officials and heads of departments who have been referred to the judicial authorities on suspicion of embezzlement and fraud.
“We are making these comments from the podium of the Directorate General of Real Estate Affairs. We confirm that our responsibility in this sector in particular will continue and will not stop at any boundary,” the minister said.
Most governments have vowed to crack down on rampant corruption in public departments, but none of these promises have materialized.
Lebanon has a very low average score in international ratings in terms of accountability, transparency and combating corruption.
There are no official figures on the cost of corruption and bribery in Lebanon but some experts believe that it in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Khalil also stressed that his ministry is keen to complete the 2018 draft budget as soon as possible so it can be discussed by both the Cabinet and Parliament for approval.
He reiterated that the new budget will include significant reforms.
“Today we are witnessing a recorrection of our financial system through the 2017 public budget which was approved by the Parliament. We are confident that we are on the right track,” he said.
The minister added that efforts would now focus on controlling spending, cutting waste and improving tax collection.
But many economists have blasted the 2017 budget because it did not include a single reform item or promise to cut unnecessary spending.
Khalil said that the Finance Ministry is working on closing the accounts of extrabudgetary spending since 2005 and will present the findings to the government soon.
