Grand Serial in Beirut. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Cabinet approved on Monday draft decrees — also validated by the State Shura Council — setting monthly compensations for the head and members of several public bodies: the National Electricity Regulatory Authority, the General Authority for Civil Aviation and the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR).
The long-delayed formation of these regulatory bodies that are meant to reshape public institutions and ensure accountability comes amid a mix of internal and external pressure. Namely, the pressure is coming from international donors who have long made transparency and structural reform a prerequisite for financial support.
The cabinet approved compensation levels as follows:
- The heads of the General Authority for Civil Aviation and the National Electricity Regulatory Authority at LL716 million (equivalent to $8,000 at the LL89,500-to-the-dollar rate), while members will receive each LL626.5 million ($7,000).
- The chairman of the CDR will be entitled to LL805.5 million ($9,000) monthly. Full-time members will each receive LL626.5 million ($7,000), while part-time members will be paid LL134,250,000 ($1,500).
A similar decision regarding the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was published in the Official Gazette on May 15. Under that decree, the president of the TRA was set to receive LL716 million ($8,000) monthly, with each of the four board members earning LL626.5 million ($7,000), bringing the authority’s total monthly payroll to roughly $36,000.