Aoun Denies Any Role in Judicial Measures against Banks
President Michel Aoun on Friday denied any role for the Presidency in the judicial measures that have been taken against a number of banks in recent days.
“The media campaigns that escalated over the past two days, which tried to allege a role for the Presidency in the judicial measures that have been taken against several banks, are the epitome of falsification, unjust accusations and disinformation,” Aoun said.
“Everything that was published today in some newspapers and through TVs, radios and social networking websites about clashes between the Presidency and banking officials is a figment of imagination aimed at politicizing this purely judicial file and inventing fictional battles and linking them in a false way to the anticipated May 15 parliamentary elections,” the President added.
Stressing that the Presidency “has never interfered in the work of the judiciary,” Aoun noted that it is “following up on the file of the forensic audit into the central bank’s accounts, in line with the law that was issued in this regard.”
“All of this confusion can be avoided through the approval of the financial recovery plan in agreement with the International Monetary Fund, including the adoption of the capital control law, which the government should finalize as soon as possible,” the President went on to say.
Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Thursday froze the assets of local lender Creditbank, her latest such move against local banks. On Monday, she froze the assets of five of Lebanon's largest banks and those of their board of directors as she investigates possible transfers of billions of dollars aboard.
In January, Judge Aoun also imposed a travel ban on Lebanon's central bank governor after a corruption lawsuit accused him of embezzlement and dereliction of duty during the crisis.
The judge is not a relative of the President but is believed to be close to him politically.
Lebanese banks have imposed informal capital controls since the economic crisis began. Since then, people do not have full access to their savings and those who withdraw cash from U.S. dollar accounts get an exchange rate far lower than that on the black market.
Source: Naharnet
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