The Lebanese Strong bloc held its regular meeting chaired by MP Gebran Bassil, discussing its agenda and issuing the following statement: 1. What happened in the Parliament today regarding the attempt to pass an illegal and forged decree constituted a major scandal in the series of violations practiced by the incomplete government of Najib Mikati. This goes beyond ethical boundaries in political work, as Mikati has not only bypassed the position of the presidency but has also become complacent with forgery as if matters were loose and there were no accountability in the country. The Lebanese Strong bloc, by refusing what occurred, is grounded in its principled and steadfast national positions, and it appreciates the stance of the parliamentary blocs that adhered to the same logic and approach. It also values the Parliament's rejection to pass such decrees, which the Speaker of the Parliament refused to receive after 2006 and still does. The constitutional, legal, and moral violations occurring since the end of President Michel Aoun's term will not go unchallenged, just like the attempts to normalize the void. Therefore, the significance of leaving the session is to confront the constitutional violations and does not aim to stop the passage of a law in accordance with procedures, such as the law for recovering funds transferred abroad after October 17.
2. The bloc believes that no one can bypass the presidential election as the sole solution to revive the functioning of constitutional institutions, emphasizing the need for everyone to move to a new phase based on dialogue and consultation to agree on a comprehensive rescue plan that begins with electing a President of the Republic and forming a government to implement a genuine reform program in cooperation with the Parliament.
3. The proposed law for the recovery of funds transferred after October 17, 2019, which the bloc submitted in May 2020, is ready for approval. Anyone who refuses to vote for it bears responsibility before the people and is in one way or another a partner with those who embezzled the people's deposits in a suspicious selective manner, a crime participated in by a system of politicians and bankers with the facilitation of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, who is pursued by several lawsuits.
The bloc expresses its bewilderment at the decision of the Public Prosecutor of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Oueidat, to halt investigations with several banks. Such a decision undermines the rights of depositors, as the issue is not merely a judicial matter but a rights issue that has been dominated by the system, which is fiercely preventing accountability for the perpetrators and thus impeding the restoration of people's rights.
