Lebanon's Central Bank chiefRiad Salameh poses during a studio photo session in the capital Beirut, on Dec. 20, 2021. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP/file)
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The Energy Ministry announced its third renewal of a fuel supply contract with Iraq, which will increase the quantity of fuel delivered annually to Lebanon. As of November, the new deal guarantees the receipt of 1.5 million tons of fuel to supply Lebanon’s power plants. The two countries agreed to expedite the delivery of “all remaining quantities in the current agreement” by doubling the quantity of fuel delivered monthly. The ministry also announced an upcoming agreement to supply Lebanon with up to two million tons of fuel without generating “additional debt to the Treasury” since “the quantities obtained will be repaid through the deferred payment of bills, as is the case today with EDL.” Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad told L’Orient Today that, through these agreements, “Lebanon’s electricity production will no longer be limited by the amount of fuel it has at its disposal, but rather by the production capacity of its power plants.” State power provider Electricité du Liban boosted its electricity production after briefly shutting down its two main power plants in January due to fuel shortages.
Mount Lebanon Investigating Judge Ziad Daghidy approved a second attempt to release Road Traffic Department Director General Hoda Salloum on bail. Salloum is one of dozens of officials arrested last November in a crackdown on public sector corruption. During an interview with local television channel Al Jadeed, Salloum’s lawyer said she would be restricted from working for four months if the public prosecution approved her release on bail set for an LL1 billion. Last month, the Mount Lebanon Indictment Chamber blocked an attempt to release Salloum on bail. Prior to her arrest, Salloum faced other allegations of corruption. Vehicle registration centers were closed for months after security forces conducted a series of raids and arrests. They partially reopened last month, staffed by ISF members.
“People are trying to prevent the opening of the new market,” a Tripoli municipal spokesperson told L’Orient Today after arsonists sabotaged sewers and infrastructure at a new vegetable market in the area. The official confirmed the damage after firefighters extinguished the fire, which also affected the entrance to the new market and some businesses, according to L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the area. However, the Civil Defense said it had not heard of this incident and did not send any team to respond to it. The Tripoli Municipality said it believes the fire was an attempt to stop the relocation of traders from the old market in Bab al-Tabbaneh to a new market near the Abu Ali River, to reduce traffic congestion and overcrowding in the city.
Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh “is now a fugitive” after a French judge issued an international arrest warrant for him on Tuesday, a French lawyer told L’Orient Today. William Bourdon, who represents parties suing the central bank chief in France, added that Salameh will not be able to appeal the French judge’s decision until he is taken under arrest. The French judge issued the warrant after Salameh skipped a hearing in Paris, during which he would have been formally named as a suspect in an embezzlement investigation. Salameh spoke out against the arrest warrant on Tuesday and announced his intention to appeal it. Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said the warrant cannot lead to legal action against Salameh in Lebanon without a red notice from Interpol.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib invited his Syrian counterpart to Beirut, two days ahead of the first Arab League summit in over a decade to be attended by Syria. Lebanese news agency al-Markaziya quoted Bou Habib as saying that Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad may visit Beirut “whenever he wants,” after a meeting of the League's foreign ministers in Jeddah. Mekdad reportedly told Bou Habib that “Syria welcomes all of its citizens ... whether Western countries encourage their return or not.” The foreign ministers’ meeting follows renewed attempts by the Lebanese government to organize mass repatriation trips for displaced Syrians. Lebanon recently experienced a series of government restrictions targeting Syrian refugees and a reported rise in deportations and arrests.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Metro al-Madina invites Beirut to a housewarming party”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz