Aoun: It Seems There Was Manipulation in the Matter of Forensic Audit

Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun confirmed in a series of tweets on "Twitter" that "at the beginning of my term, I gathered the judges and told them that I was their steel roof, and at the end of it, I gathered them again and asked them why I had not received any complaints from them during that entire period. Is everything in the judiciary going well? They all remained silent." He considered that "the renewal of Riad Salameh was a serious mistake made by those who refused to go along with our proposal to appoint a new Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, and those who renewed for the central governor were the ones who had two-thirds of the Cabinet." Aoun added: "We did not have two-thirds; otherwise, we would have appointed a replacement for Salameh from the very first moment without the need for any support." He pointed out that "Riad Salameh's term ended with the issuance of a warrant for his arrest, and it should have ended from the start of the investigations into his case, because the reputation of the central bank's governor should be like diamonds, not gold, meaning it should be very transparent." He noted that "the action that can be taken today regarding the Governorship of the Central Bank of Lebanon ranges between two options: either the first deputy governor takes over, which he is refusing to do, or a judicial guardian is appointed, because a caretaker government cannot appoint a replacement." Aoun considered that "the preference today is for reform rather than the name of a presidential candidate, because the blockers are constants in power… So, can we support someone and throw him into power while he is incapable of working with the current system?" He emphasized that "there needs to be a change for the next president to be effective." Aoun concluded by stating, "It is shameful not for the Lebanese to agree on electing a president, and then wait for a recommendation from abroad to vote against their will for someone, because anyone elected from abroad will be beholden to foreign interests."