Beirut: «Al-Khaleej», agencies
The price of the US dollar rose, without warning, and reached 23,000 Lebanese pounds, yesterday, Wednesday, and fuel prices rose with it once more, and the Central Bank of Lebanon denied that the “exchange” platform had stopped working, while the Council of Ministers held a session today, Thursday, during which it discusses the “Megacenter” file. Amid expectations of a dispute between the components of the government over its adoption, which threatens to postpone the parliamentary elections.
central bank
The dollar exchange rate continued to rise on the black market, as it recorded 23,000 Lebanese pounds for sale, and 23,200 pounds for purchase. The reason, according to financial sources, is that some banks have stopped selling the dollar through the “exchange” platform in the past two days, Which led to an increase in the demand for dollars on the black market.
In this context, the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, indicated in a statement that “some media outlets reported a news regarding a banking platform stopping working,” stressing that “this news is totally false.”
The bank also asked commercial banks to hand over the names of the “politically exposed” who had refrained from complying with a circular ordering them to return funds sent abroad in the period leading up to the country’s financial collapse in 2019.
With the increase in the exchange rate of the dollar and oil globally, the price of a can of gasoline 95 octane (16,000 pounds), a can of gasoline 98 octane (16,000 pounds), and diesel fuel increased to 23,000 pounds, and the prices are according to the figure The following: gasoline 95 octane: 441,000 pounds, gasoline 98 octane: 450,000 pounds, and diesel: 460,000 pounds.
Disagreements regarding the megacentre
On the other hand, attention is turning today to the Cabinet session to see if the Council will decide whether or not to adopt the MegaCenter, in light of the governmental and political division over it to the extent that some suggested postponing the elections for three months until they are secured, especially since the ministerial committee dedicated to studying this The issue was confirmed by a majority of its members that the Megacentre needs a legal amendment in the House of Representatives, while Minister of Justice Henry Khoury considered that it does not need a law.
Tourism Minister Walid Nassar insisted on adopting it if necessary to postpone the elections for three months.
Accompanying sources suggested that there would be no agreement on adopting the Megacentre, given that the bulk of the political forces participating in the government do not want this matter, in addition to the lack of time and the lack of technical and financial capabilities.