The head of the Beirut Bar Association, Nader Kisbar, met today, Saturday, with the acting governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Wassim Mansouri, in the presence of professors Nada Talhouq, Karim Daher, and Maysam Younes, at the governor's office in the Central Bank. They discussed the overall financial situation, "especially concerning the banks and their sometimes arbitrary and discriminatory dealings with depositors, the fate of bank deposits, and his vision regarding the solutions and plans that can be adopted to exit the crisis and restore the regular financial, monetary, and economic situation of the country."
According to a statement, there was an emphasis on "the necessity of enacting balanced and fair reform laws, in which the Bar Association contributed to some aspects, within a specific timeline, as well as initiating a regular operation for the banking sector based on transparent and clear foundations, good and responsible governance to restore confidence in this sector, and to end the current cash economy in the financial markets, which harms the image and interests of the Lebanese state, and leads to a decline in its ranking with global financial and regulatory institutions, thus placing the country in a dangerous predicament regarding financial transactions and international banking transfers, not to mention its negative impact on citizenship and tax justice."
The attention of Mansouri was also drawn to "the numerous correspondences that took place between the bar head, represented by the Committee for the Protection of Depositors' Rights in the bar, and the Banking Control Commission, concerning the flaws, violations, and breaches related to the working mechanisms and dealings between banks and depositors."
The statement added: "The attendees paused at the issue of amending the Currency and Credit Law, which the government proposed and appointed a committee to study. They expressed their desire not to amend this law before completing the presidential election and appointing a new responsible government and an official governor for the Central Bank of Lebanon. Mansouri supported this approach."
Thus, the visit concluded, with Kisbar and the professors wishing the acting governor success in tackling this complex task, which he took on during the most challenging phase in the nation's history, while maintaining channels of communication, contact, and cooperation, as was the case since he assumed his interim position.
