Banque du Liban. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Following reports in recent days that Banque du Liban has taken measures to allow judges and MPs to withdraw their salaries at a rate of LL8,000 rather than at the official rate of LL1,500, a BDL spokesperson denied knowledge of any such policy.
Here's what we know:
• Reports of the policy regarding judges' pay have generated indignation. Caretaker Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram issued a statement saying, "We are surprised by the unstudied and improvised selectivity of the management [of the salary issues] in an attempt to do justice to one sector ... and to ignore other sectors," adding that "the correct and scientific vision is absent."
• Jawad Adra, founder of the research firm Information International, wrote on Twitter. "In response to what was reported about the judges’ salaries, some interested people and friends contacted me to confirm that the MPs are also covered by this measure and that what is being implemented by some or all banks is more serious: 8 million lira = 5300 lira 8000x to become 42.400 million lira. This means destroying the public sector and the Lebanese University."
• Nizar Saghieh, head of the Legal Agenda, tweeted, "Judges' salaries are supposed to be determined by law and paid from the state budget. That is, the increase in salaries from outside the budget through the ploys of the governor of Banque du Liban, the number one suspect, and the banks that are the gang of evildoers that threaten the independence of the judiciary and strip it...and all of that is from what is left of the depositors' money."
• Ghada Aoun, the Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor who has been pursuing BDL Governor Riad Salameh on charges of illicit enrichment, replied, "I completely agree with you, Mr. Nizar. The judges' salaries must be set by law, or the mutual fund should be given aid from the state by a decision of the cabinet. Whatever the case, an independent judge will remain independent and will not be tempted by the tricks of this person or that."
• Contacted by L'Orient Today regarding the reported BDL policy, a central bank spokesperson said he had only heard about the matter on the news and had no information regarding such a policy, adding, "I didn’t see any circular and I didn’t send any statement."