Kataeb Political Bureau Member Alain Hakim indicated that the state is robbing the Lebanese people, describing this reality as bitter.

“58% of the Lebanese who did not vote in the 2022 elections are to blame. Through these elections, a big number of lawmakers came back to the Parliament, meaning that we will keep in the same pattern, approach and mechanism. The factor of time does not exist, and proof is that we are in the fourth year and the officials are reluctant amid patchwork,” Hakim said in an interview with LBCI.

He highlighted the absence of a plan amid a parallel black economy that is disrupting the State’s work, the levy and the official economic cycle by the enormous size of the public sector equivalent to 40%, which must be 15%, and by the lack of reforms and the presence of illegal weapons in the Lebanese State.

“We cannot talk about development, growth and economy amid the presence of illegal weapons,” he pointed out.

“There are no plans and visions including primary plans until this moment. Who is going to implement the plan? Where is the will?” he asked, considering that the current ruling system will fail to implement it.

Hakim stressed that there was no perfect plan, for each plan is subject to change, but it should be implemented so it can be modified and improved.

“How can we discuss laws amid presidential vacuum, and we have exceeded the period that gave us the chance to get out of the crisis with minimal damage,” Hakim went on saying.

 “We are paying the price, for the people that are ruling the country are deaf to the misery of the Lebanese,” Hakim noted.

The Political Bureau Member believed that the way of dealing with the Lebanese people was wrong.

 “Since 2019 until today, the state has not done anything. There is an attempt to waste time and dissolve deposits in the sense that they decay themselves through the burglary,” he explained.

Hakim considered that the parallel economy halts the normal economic cycle and creates a rudimentary cycle, hence no monetary fund statement or plans can be discussed.

"We need the seal of the International Monetary Fund on the level of the international financial and economic community, knowing that we as Lebanese are able to get out of the crisis through existing funds abroad, in the Lebanese Central Bank and through individual initiative,” he declared.

Hakim noted that political parties’ heads had repeatedly alerted from the financial crisis, among them Kataeb Party Leader MP Samy Gemayel who warned the mistakes of the Association of Banks.

“Gemayel also warned in several press conferences that banks were still lending their state,” Hakim said.

He pointed out that the process of the disappearance of deposits was known and it was done by the current corrupt ruling system.

Regarding the expiration of Central Bank Governor’s mandate and Sayrafa platform’s fate he said: "Wasim Mansouri will succeed Governor Riad Salameh upon the expiration of his mandate and the Central Council is the one who decides to continuity of Sayrafa platform’s work.”

"I think Sayrafa should remain even though the situation is anomalous and it can be a source of corruption and waste,” he said, stressing the need of this platform in the public sector.

He highlighted that Sayrafa was established to rebalance the black market, saying that it is a source of parallel economy as well as the destruction of Lebanon and the official exchange rate.

“Not presenting the 2023 budget is a dangerous matter and we are currently in July 2023, while we were supposed to discuss and finish the budget of 2024,” he emphasized.

“Every year we warn against the delay in budgets. How can we take Lebanon seriously?” he wondered.

Hakim noted that the revenues of the state were non-existent and the levy was discontinued, while the state was raising the scale of rent without raising the scale of revenues.

Regarding the report of Alvarez and Marsal, he said: “We need to note what is important to us from each report,” pointing out that transparency and governance are the foundation of any plan, since it gives an idea of money’s fate.

“We should not forget that audit is carried out in all the ministries,” he went on saying.

He alerted from a conspiracy represented by the disappearance of deposits and the adoption of a new economy cycle which can be benefited from through economy based on investment, fast profit and transfer of money abroad.

“This is a very important matter and we should take into consideration what we can come up with in this regard,” he concluded.