Berri: Owners of 5 Banks Sent $2.3 Billion Abroad

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday said he has managed to “confirm” that the owners of five Lebanese banks have sent their “personal money” abroad, estimated at $2.3 billion, despite the informal capital controls that have been imposed on depositors since November.

He was speaking during his weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting with lawmakers.

“The national duty obliges us all to pacify the atmosphere and create the appropriate circumstances to restore the regularity of political life in line with law and constitution,” Berri said.

“We are before a real chance for salvation. We either seize it and succeed or we let it go and fail,” the Speaker warned.

Criticizing the solutions proposed for resolving the electricity crisis in the government’s draft policy statement, Berri said the state should adopt the electricity plan that has been successfully implemented in the Zahle region.

The Speaker also noted that parliamentary sessions to debate the government’s policy statement might kick off Tuesday should the government refer the draft to parliament “by Friday morning at the latest.”