Minister of Communications Receives Ownership Documents for Touch Buildings

The media office of the Minister of Communications in the caretaker government, Johnny Qaram, stated that "it is important for the Lebanese public to be informed that Minister Qaram has received the ownership documents for the Touch buildings located on property 1526 in the Bashoura area after completing their registration in the real estate departments." The statement confirmed that "Minister Qaram has thus concluded the sale agreement signed with City Development Company regarding property number 1526/Bashoura, which was signed on July 31, 2019, prior to Minister Qaram taking over the Ministry of Communications. This was done for the benefit of the Lebanese state, as he paid upon assuming the ministry the amount of 176 billion Lebanese pounds, equivalent at that time to 1.8 million dollars via a bank check, in addition to the previously paid amount of 50 million dollars, bringing the total to 51.8 million dollars, thus avoiding due penalties and preventing the loss of the buildings, which according to a report from the Audit Court are worth over 102 million dollars." The media office noted that "Minister Qaram presented an offer and an actual deposit with the notary for City Development Company, which was received by the owning party, thereby fully releasing the Lebanese state. Concurrently, Minister Qaram filed a lawsuit against the mentioned owning company to compel it to register the sale after securing the necessary documents for this purpose, with a decision issued on March 13, 2023, ordering the registration of the lawsuit and the sales contract on the property records of property number 1526/Bashoura. It is worth noting that all these procedures were completed prior to the issuance of the Audit Court's report regarding the case numbered 3/2022 dated March 28, 2022." He added that "the details outlined above confirm the accuracy of what Minister Qaram had previously stated, affirming his credibility and transparency in handling this file and the good management that led to achieving the public interest within the framework of the law."