Financial Prosecutor Interrogates Saniora for 3 Hours

Former premier Fouad Saniora on Thursday gave a three-hour testimony before Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim in the case of “the $11 billion spent between 2006 and 2008,” the National News Agency said.

The hearing session was held in the presence of Saniora’s lawyer – ex-minister Rashid Derbas.

In remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Saniora had said that he would not attend the session.

“”I am a man under the law, I fully trust what I have done for the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese, I would have done the same today if I were the prime minister,” added Saniora.

On Wednesday, the financial prosecutor had asked Saniora to “show up at his office at the Justice Palace on Thursday morning,” the National News Agency reported.

But State Prosecutor Ghassan Ouweidat later told NNA that "due to the failure to inform ex-PM Fouad Saniora of the date of the hearing session... it has been decided to reschedule the session to Thursday, November 14."

Earlier this year, Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah called for a probe into what he claimed were missing state funds amounting to $11 billion dollars.

He was indirectly pointing a finger at former PM Saniora.

He submitted financial documents to the judiciary that he claimed could “land many people in jail, including former prime ministers.”

Saniora later described the issue of the “missing” $11 billion as a “farce,” as he announced that those “setting up mini-states inside the state” are the real corrupts, in an apparent jab at Hizbullah.

Saniora said the 11 billion dollars in question were spent on interest hikes, treasury loans for Electricite Du Liban, and wage hikes and recruitment expenses for the armed forces.