The Minister of Finance in the caretaker government, Yusuf Khalil, denied the rumors regarding the establishment of an exchange rate for withdrawals at 25,000 L.L. per dollar. He stated, "There is no truth to this, nor regarding the shifting of responsibilities in decision-making." He noted that "the Ministry of Finance was the first to initiate the process of unifying the exchange rate with the 2022 budget and will continue to support this path as a cornerstone for financial and monetary recovery."
He emphasized that "in these exceptional circumstances, and in the absence of legislations and laws conducive to the sustainable recovery of deposits, addressing the issue of banking withdrawals today is crucial to avoid misinformation, selectivity, and undermining the rights of depositors." He stressed that "this requires a thorough study of the available data concerning the capabilities of the central bank to ensure that financial and monetary stability is not compromised while safeguarding depositors' rights."
In this context, Khalil revealed that "he is in constant communication with monetary authorities to provide the ministry with the available options for banking withdrawals outside of the circulars (which only affect a small percentage of depositors) and the limits available for withdrawals according to scenarios that guarantee the right of all depositors to access their deposits (voluntarily)." He pointed out that "restricting deposits until the appropriate legislation is enacted incurs costs on the economy and on depositors." He reiterated his support for monetary authorities in the process of unifying the exchange rate, confirming that "he will not hesitate to take responsibility for the appropriate decision once the necessary data is received from the central bank, which he will present and discuss with the government to take actions that serve the public interest."
