BEIRUT — Former Minister of Economy denounced in a press conference on Saturday the "attacks against him.” This came after MP Farid Boustany filed a complaint against him over an "embezzlement, extortion and waste of public money."

Salam expressed surprise at the campaigns against him, accusing them of distorting his image and spreading false accusations of corruption during his tenure at the Ministry of Economy.

He claimed he encountered resistance from entrenched systems and ‘mafias’ that did not want reform.

Salam highlighted several factors which, according to him, led to the attack against him. First, he worked on legislative and administrative reforms, particularly the Competition Law, which ended exclusive agency right. According to him, this law, which aimed to improve Lebanon's economy, promote competition and lower prices was supported by the IMF and international organizations. Second, he said that he reactivated the Insurance Control Commission and revived its work. 

Salam accused Boustany, who also hold the position of chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy and Trade, of being one of the main opponents of the Competition Law due to his business interests in exclusive agencies and insurance companies.

"Boustany could have been one of the first to be affected by our approval of the competition law and exclusive agencies because he is the owner of the largest companies and exclusive agencies in Lebanon", he said.

Salam added that Boustany was frustrated with Salam because he thought that the latter would vote for him in the presidential elections but instead of doing so, Salam voted for President Joseph Aoun.

Following Salam's speech, Boustany said the Economy Committee is the one who approved the Competition Law and that the appointment of the head of the Insurance Control Commission was done under great pressure by the committee because the minister was comfortable with the lack of a head of the committee so that he could continue to head it without any oversight or control."

"As for the other accusations he made against us, it is a mockery, we have done our duty and the judiciary is the final arbiter, so go to the judiciary", he told Salam.

On Thursday, the Lebanese judiciary banned Amin Salam from leaving the country following the opening of a judicial investigation into the former Economy Minister with the Cassation Public Prosecutor's Office by members of the parliamentary Economy Committee.

An article published on Thursday by the Lebanese newspaper al-Modon indicates that the move against Minister Salam and one of his advisors is partly linked to a file already under consideration by the Financial Public Prosecutor's Office concerning the alleged involvement of his brother and one of his advisors in a case of abuse of power and extortion targeting insurance companies.

A source close to the former minister previously told L'Orient-Le Jour that Amine Salam will appear personally before the public prosecutor to "firmly reject the charges brought against him", whether in the insurance case or for wasting public funds.