Bassil: Proceed With the File I Submitted on Over $1 Billion in Waste in the Telecommunications Sector

During a parliamentary session held to hear testimony from three former telecommunications ministers and to examine the request to lift MP George Bouchekian’s immunity, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) president MP Gebran Bassil denounced the politicization of the investigation. He criticized the narrative presented at the Kasabian building regarding alleged sponsorship deals and claims of savings for the state.

Bassil emphasized: “We’re debating files involving $9 or $10 million in alleged waste, while there’s a case involving over $1.5 billion in losses. The termination of telecommunications contracts alone cost the Lebanese state $720 million in damages, $88 million in lost tax revenue, and $96 million in compensation paid to FTML.”

He continued, “When I served as Minister of Telecommunications, I submitted this case to the Court of Audit, the Public Prosecutor, and the Financial Prosecutor, documenting the embezzlement of over $1 billion. We provided detailed evidence, including cabinet decisions and their violations, contracts and their breaches, and audit reports from KPMG and others. I also called for a full audit of the matter.”

Bassil asserted that the corruption in this case was evident. “While I was in office, they tried to exempt companies from paying $59 million in VAT. I objected — and that was the thread that led me deeper into the file. What we’re looking at is theft of more than $1 billion, with clear violations of cabinet decisions, Court of Audit rulings, and prosecutorial findings.”

He concluded by urging the legislature to act: “I hope this case proceeds on its rightful path, and that Parliament issues a formal recommendation to thoroughly investigate and study the file.”