BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliament approved on Thursday a law to remove decades-old banking secrecy rules in order to better fight rampant corruption that has pushed the country to the edge of economic collapse.
The move opens the way for investigations into bank accounts of current and former officials such as Cabinet ministers, legislators and civil servants, state-run National News Agency reported.
The restoration of stolen public money in the corruption-plagued nation has been a key demand of protesters who have been demonstrating since mid-October against Lebanon’s ruling elite, which they blame for widespread corruption and mismanagement.
The approval of the law came two months after the Cabinet approved a draft resolution to abolish the country’s banking secrecy laws, which have turned tiny Lebanon into the region’s Switzerland, attracting clients from around the Arab world who prized the anonymity its banks offered.
The new law gives powers to National Anti-corruption Commission and a Special Investigative Committee at the central bank to investigate bank account of officials, the report said.
For Thursday’s session, Lebanese lawmakers convened inside a Beirut theater so that they could observe social distancing measures imposed during the pandemic. Dozens of anti-government demonstrators briefly clashed with riot police outside as legislators met.
As lawmakers in face masks arrived at the theater, known as the UNESCO palace, paramedics sprayed them with disinfectant before they entered, one at a time.
Lebanon has been facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with unemployment figures soaring and the local currency losing more than half of its value against the dollar.
After the banking secrecy measure was passed, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri suspended the session until later in the afternoon when the legislators were to discuss a draft general amnesty law.
The amnesty issue has deeply divided parliamentary blocs, with Christian groups calling for pardoning Lebanese who fled to Israel after it ended its occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, while former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and others want the release of hundreds of Islamists held as terror suspects.
Lebanon and Israel are at a state of war and some Lebanese who fled to Israel now hold Israeli citizenship. Scores of protesters demonstrated in Beirut and southern Lebanon on Thursday against pardoning those living in Israel.
Lebanon removes banking secrecy rules to fight corruption
https://arab.news/8ve8z
Lebanon removes banking secrecy rules to fight corruption
- The move opens the way for investigations into bank accounts of current and former officials such as Cabinet ministers
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia reaffirm push for joint energy and mining projects
- In recent years, Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as a leader in the global minerals and energy sectors
- Both sides reaffirm commitment to enhance partnership and promote mutually beneficial investments
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to enhance cooperation in energy and mineral sectors, the Pakistani information ministry said on Friday, as the two sides seek to deepen economic ties and promote joint investment.
The development comes weeks after Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh that saw participation from 13 public and private Pakistani firms.
Pakistan petroleum ministry said Alkhorayef had pointed out “vast opportunities” for cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in the minerals sector, adding that the Kingdom would support the development of Pakistan’s mining industry through its knowledge and technical expertise.
On Friday, Malik held a meeting with Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, to discuss areas of mutual cooperation and further strengthen bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, according to the information ministry.
“Both sides reviewed ongoing collaboration and explored new avenues for cooperation, particularly in the energy and minerals sectors,” it said in a statement. “They reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing economic partnership and promoting mutually beneficial investment opportunities.”
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as a leader in the global minerals and energy sectors and accelerated investments in green technologies, sustainable mining practices and international collaborations that are shaping the future of the mines and mineral industry.
Last year, Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals, a Public Investment Fund and Maaden joint venture, also expressed intent to acquire a 15 percent stake in Pakistan’s Reko Diq gold and copper mine. The $7 billion project, located in Balochistan, is being developed by Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold in partnership with Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments.
Malik expressed confidence that longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia would translate into tangible outcomes, fostering investment, technology exchange, and sustainable development initiatives for mutual benefit.
Ambassador Al-Malki appreciated Pakistan’s active participation in the Future Minerals Forum, which offered significant opportunities for regional collaboration, according to the statement.
“Both sides agreed to maintain close coordination to further strengthen economic and strategic cooperation in the coming period,” the information ministry added.
