Berri convenes joint committees Thursday to examine general amnesty bill

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri convened joint parliamentary committees on Thursday to examine several bills and proposals, including a bill establishing a general amnesty and an “exceptional” reduction of certain sentences and penalties, according to a statement from the Parliament’s bureau.

The agenda for the committees also includes scrutiny of a bill authorizing the Lebanese government to reach an agreement with Germany to establish local offices for GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), the central agency of the German federal government for implementing German development policy. Also on the agenda is a bill aiming to approve an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for the creation of an office for its resident representative in Lebanon.

Members of the Finance and Budget, Administration and Justice, Defense, Interior and Municipalities, Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, National Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning, as well as the Information and Telecommunications committees are involved in this convocation. It comes during a ten-day cease-fire that has been in effect for nearly a week between Lebanon and Israel.