“What’s in Store for Thursday: Parties and References Involved in the Airport Deal, You Won’t Believe Who’s Involved!”

The Lebanese government recently made a consensual agreement with a Saudi and an Irish company to construct Terminal 2 at the airport, which has raised some concerns. The expansion of the airport was proposed in a cabinet session back in April 2022, outside of the agenda. This caused some to suspect collusion between President Gebran Bassil’s team and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, since it was brought up outside the set agenda.

Surprisingly, the Minister of Tourism, Walid Nassar, rather than Minister Ali Hamiyah, who is currently in charge of the project, was the one who proposed the airport expansion project in the Council of Ministers. While those close to Nassar do not deny his involvement, they claim that he was surprised by the announcement of the project and its timing.

The project was discussed before in the Council of Ministers, and some financiers connected with the airport expansion project consulted with some parliamentary blocs to not obstruct the project. The Lebanese Forces party is reportedly waiting for the head of the Public Procurement Authority, Jean Al-Alya, to issue a statement before commenting on the matter.

The Public Works and Transport Committee has scheduled a hearing next Thursday, in the presence of the Minister of Works Ali Hamiyah, the Director of Civil Aviation Fadi Al-Hassan, the head of the Audit Bureau Judge Muhammad Badran, and the head of the Public Procurement Authority Jean Al-Alia. Sources suggest that suspending the airport expansion agreement might be the best course of action to ensure transparency and competition, and to obtain a clear opinion from the Audit Bureau and the Public Procurement Authority.

The Works Committee and its members have been urged to be mindful of their actions and to avoid any further violations at the expense of the Lebanese and the state, as the media will be closely watching.

“spot shot”

The consensual agreement concluded by the Lebanese government with two foreign companies, one Saudi and one Irish, to construct Terminal 2 at the airport is still interacting today with more threads emerging related to it.

On April 14, 2022, the expansion of the airport was proposed in the cabinet session and outside the agenda. The issue outside the agenda has great implications, the most prominent of which is collusion between the President’s team, led by Gebran Bassil and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, otherwise it would not have been raised outside the agenda.

Surprisingly, the author of the proposal in the Council of Ministers is Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar, not Minister Ali Hamiyah, who today alone bears the burden of the project.
Those close to Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar do not deny that he was the first to propose this project to the Council of Ministers, but they assert that he was surprised by the announcement of the project and its timing.

The issue was previously raised in the Council of Ministers. Some of the financiers associated with the airport expansion project communicated with some parties and parliamentary blocs so as not to obstruct the project. Here, the Lebanese Forces party stands out, which is hiding today behind the head of the Public Procurement Authority, Jean Al-Alya, awaiting what will be issued by it.
The position of the national movement is not better than the forces. Rather, it is primarily responsible through its minister putting forward the project from outside the agenda, which confirms its involvement in the deal.

The Public Works and Transport Committee is scheduled to hear next Thursday from the Minister of Works, Ali Hamiyah, in the presence of the Director of Civil Aviation, Fadi Al-Hassan, the head of the Audit Bureau, Judge Muhammad Badran, and the head of the Public Procurement Authority, Jean Al-Alia.
The sources assert that suspending the airport expansion agreement is the best solution so that the file takes its correct legal path in terms of securing the elements of transparency and competition, and a clear opinion from the Audit Bureau and the Public Procurement Authority, and this is what the committee will recommend, according to the “spot-shot” information.

While awaiting Thursday’s session and what comes out of it, we turn to the Works Committee, with its chairman, Sajea Attia, and its members: Hussein Jishi, Ibrahim Mneimneh, Taha Naji, Firas Salloum, Nada Bustani, Hussein Hajj Hassan, Nabil Badr, Salim Aoun, Antoine Habshi, Melhem Touq, Abdel Karim Kabbara, Fouad Makhzoumi, Faisal Al-Sayegh, Muhammad Yahya, Muhammad Khawaja, Ahmed Al-Khair.

Be aware that you are under the media microscope so that there are no other violations at the expense of the Lebanese and the state.

The proposal to expand Lebanon’s airport has been mired in controversy, with allegations of collusion and lack of transparency. As the Public Works and Transport Committee prepares to hear from key officials, including the Director of Civil Aviation and the head of the Audit Bureau, there are calls to temporarily suspend the agreement and ensure that proper legal procedures are followed. The spotlight is on the committee members to uphold their responsibilities and prevent any further harm to the Lebanese state and its citizens. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and hope for a fair resolution that prioritizes the interests of the Lebanese people.