Prime Minister Najib Mikati renewed Saturday his call on the concerned judicial authorities to expedite steps to address the abuse occurring in the judicial process, so as to ensure that the proper course of justice takes place.
He revealed that his letter to Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi particularly aimed at putting an end to the alarming course of events in using the judiciary and the law to settle political scores.
“This clear position I conveyed to the delegation of the Association of Banks when they visited me last week to present the reasons for the strike carried out by the banking sector, and I repeated the same position yesterday during a meeting with the delegation,” Mikati said before his visitors today.
He added: “Our goal is to protect the banking sector because it is a basic pillar of the economy, and not to protect any banker or any bank that violates the laws…Also, through what we are working on, we are prioritizing returning depositors’ money and putting an end to defrauding them with procedures that violate the relevant laws and regulations.”
In response to a question, Mikati denied being on the banks’ side at the expense of the depositors, stressing that “what we are adopting in terms of measures and steps in cooperation with the Parliament Council and the International Monetary Fund, mainly aim to restore people’s rights within a clear and programmed plan. Hence, we renew the call to cease all political confusion and let everyone believe that there is no solution except through cooperation between the various political components for the advancement of the country.”
“We are protecting an integrated cycle whose pillar is the economy, the banking sector, and depositors,” he maintained, emphasizing that no bank is immune to any prosecution or accountability in the event that it is proven to have committed any legal violation or abuse, while taking into account the principles of prosecution and trial that are protected by the constitution and the law.
Source: National News Agency – Lebnon