Kanaan Calls on Saniora to Present Accounting Records of 2006-2010 Governments
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan noted on Tuesday that the problem on government spending does not lie in the spending itself, but in the fact that parliament is being undermined.
He also reiterated his bloc’s demand that Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora present the government’s accounting records from 2006 until 2010.
He added during a press conference that the governments of former Prime Ministers Saniora and Saad Hariri presented draft laws on the state budget after the constitutional deadline.
Furthermore, he remarked that the 2005 state budget was submitted a year and a month after the constitutional deadline.
“The delay in presenting a state budget allowed them to spend funds and later request parliament to approve this spending,” Kanaan explained.
In addition, the MP slammed the March 14 camp’s claims that the delay in the approval of a state budget under the Saniora and Hariri governments is attributed to the closure of parliament between December 2006 and May 2008 over disputes between the March 8 and 14 forces.
“The problem lies in the fact that they have refused to acknowledge the presence of a mechanism that stipulates how funds should be spent,” declared the Change and Reform MP.
“Some sides’ demand that the constitution be applied is being interpreted by some sides as an attempt to create strife,” he added.
“I am not making political statements, but I am recounting facts and legal decisions that have been issued by the Audit Bureau,” he continued.
“We cannot fabricate legal matters. The law must be respected,” he stressed.
“Is it acceptable that we have reached the point of political blackmail?” asked Kanaan.
He added that the bill that would legalize the $5.9 billion spending was referred to parliament and these funds were spent as treasury loans.
“Our problem with Saniora lies in the fact that his government did not receive approval to spend funds,” he noted.
The draft law on the spending of the $11 billion is unacceptable, he said.
The March 14 opposition and mainly al-Mustaqbal bloc MPs are protesting the March 8 camp’s proposal of a bill that would legalize the $5.9 billion spending made by Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet in 2011.
The lawmakers are conditioning the approval of the bill to a comprehensive settlement to the current spending and the $11 billion spent by the Saniora and Hariri governments.
Lebanon has been without a state budget since 2005.
The March 8 forces, mainly the Change and Reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun, are demanding records on how the $11 billion was spent.
However, Saniora, who heads al-Mustaqbal bloc, stresses the spending was made to cover the expenses of increase in wages of civil servants, subsidize electricite du Liban and pay the interest on the national debt and compensations to the victims of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in 2006.
He said that the total of additional spending between 2006 and 2009 amounted to $11 billion. While the 2010 spending totaled $5 billion, and the amount spent in 2011 totaled $6 billion.
Saniora’s effort to sum them up is aimed at pushing parliament at finding a comprehensive solution to the extra-budgetary spending.
06 March 2012, 13:21
22
What do you think, you are in a democratic country to demand anything?
06 March 2012, 13:50
23
How about your accounting records of all the bribes you accepted from the Satan Ali Khameini ? How about all the accounting records of Aoun in Paris and all the money he embezzled from the Government ? Mr Kanaan you preach best of what you need to learn most .
06 March 2012, 14:11
22
Finally numbers and law, not just poetry and tears as Mr.Siniora and co are used to throw at Lebanese citizens. Frankly I think accountability won’t be in courts but in votes: Eagerly awaiting 2013
06 March 2012, 14:55
00
This little boy claims that “We cannot fabricate legal matters. The law must be respected,” he stressed... yet a couple of weeks ago this same little boy agreed the decree that Charbel Nahhas was asked to sign was illegal but then Aoun, their boss, was ordered by Nasrallah, the legal scholar and expert, that the decree was legal and must be signed and then it was.
Nahhas was dropped like an old smelly shoe, obviously the legality of the decree was not longer an issue.. was that a fabricated legal matter and was the law respected, ANSWER LITTLE BOY!
06 March 2012, 15:11
24
An audit is necessary. If money has been stolen -no matter which side did- the people behind the theft should be judged. We shouldn't stop at money theft, everyone who's got blood on his hands (armed militias) that has turned his weapons against people should be judged and sentenced for life. Screw the amnesty law. Geagea's sentence was too short, but Amal leader -Berri-, Hezbollah leader -Nasrallah- General Aoun whom illegally seized the power in 89, Jumblatt, the Phalangist ex president ALL ALL ALL should be judged for the sake of the country. Roumieh prison can welcome all of them. If Saad Hariri also stole, then he shall join them.
06 March 2012, 16:18
33
Aoun decided to to at war against Ex foe Syria and massively shelled Beirut, killing huge amount of Lebanese citizens with the army's weapons. Hezbollah blew up the US and French embassies in Beirut, that's for the old stuff they didn't pay for. More recently, they triggered a war that killed 1000+ Lebanese citizens and cost us billions in infrastructure. Later on, they terrorized Lebanon on a bloody month of may.vthe governments that legalized the Hezbollah weapons served nothing but themselves regardeless of M14/M8. They are about to get away with stolen billions of dollars. This cannot go unpunished. Iceland's judicial system set the example. Their ex prime minister is accused of negligence that caused the bankruptcy of the country. He'll most likely get jailed for this. Nobody is untouchable. Our Lebanese ''leaders" are covering their illegal activities by elaborating new laws thinking they are safe. They are fools!
06 March 2012, 15:58
00
It is a basic tenant of law that one cannot obstruct and the accuse the other of breach of duty caused by one's own obstruction. M8 seems to be attempting to accomplish this feat by holding M14 accountable for 2006-10 spending without the benefit of a budget approved by Parliament, which of course was and is controlled by the M8 Speaker Berri.
But this is all a ruse. M8 is actually attempting to sanction its illegal spending in 2011 of $5.9 billion without incurring any sanction for the irregularities that occurred then. The 2006-10 bill is to gain leverage over M14, to gain parity, so that in negotiations each side will let the other side be excused for their actions.
M14, if it could trust those performing the audit should show the books, then challenge M8 to do the same. I doubt that M8 can justify Aoun's family spending from the nation's treasury.
06 March 2012, 15:58
00
It is a basic tenant of law that one cannot obstruct and the accuse the other of breach of duty caused by one's own obstruction. M8 seems to be attempting to accomplish this feat by holding M14 accountable for 2006-10 spending without the benefit of a budget approved by Parliament, which of course was and is controlled by the M8 Speaker Berri.
But this is all a ruse. M8 is actually attempting to sanction its illegal spending in 2011 of $5.9 billion without incurring any sanction for the irregularities that occurred then. The 2006-10 bill is to gain leverage over M14, to gain parity, so that in negotiations each side will let the other side be excused for their actions.
M14, if it could trust those performing the audit should show the books, then challenge M8 to do the same. I doubt that M8 can justify Aoun's family spending from the nation's treasury.
06 March 2012, 16:39
11
Just as a reminder Prime, late mufti Hassan Kahled said( “ gharbye is being bombed form gharbieh) right before he was killed by the syrian occupation army or their mignons in Lebanon (current Harriri supporters) so no the Lebanese Army never bombed Beirut
06 March 2012, 16:45
10
Again why are we drifting away from the main subject, all cabinets headed by Siniora or Harriri broke the law and did not submit their accounts to the parliament approval thus they deserve to be legally punished. This is called: accountability, a term long forgotten in Lebanon, but recently brought back thanks to people such as PM Kannaan and Minister Sehnaoui…
06 March 2012, 17:16
01
I agree with Benzona... HANG THEM ALL. ALL Lebanese political parties are thieves
06 March 2012, 20:10
00
BRAVO, and the Oscar goes to.. this is exiting.. BIBO! BIBO KANAAN!
07 March 2012, 12:10
00
Ok seriously now,
look at his face: http://images3.naharnet.com/images/19078/w460.JPG?1320410679
Does this guy inspire any form of trust in you?
lol
