DAILY SCOPE: Less than A Billion Dedicated to Refugees’ Crisis, Hariri Involved in Laundering Scandal?!

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS' HEADLINES:

AS-SAFIR:

"Paris Network": We Handed Hariri's Attorney 7 Million Euro!

AN-NAHAR:

"Two-Year Term" is a Rumor

Qassem: Saudi Arabia Finishing Off "Israeli" Project

AL-LIWAA:

Berri Waits, Links Cabinet Work to Legislation

AL-BINAA:

Yemeni Conduit Waiting; Turkey Brings Back Safe Region to Confrontation...

Lebanese newspapers on Monday discussed several topics including the municipal and presidential elections. Also, newspapers tackled the legislative session as House Speaker Nabih Berri waits for the responses of the parliamentarian blocs. The dailies followed up on the latest developments in the illegal internet scandal file and other pending domestic files.

AS-SAFIR: Hariri Involved in Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Scandal?!

"Saad Hariri might stand before France's judiciary sometime soon," with such a statement As-Safir newspaper started its editorial on Monday, citing the French newspaper "Dimanche".

As-Safir said that the former Lebanese PM might have to stand before the French judiciary as sources say he might be involved in the "Cedar file", one of the biggest cases of drugs and money laundering.

Since January, the newspaper reported that five Lebanese citizens are being pursued in France and Germany. As-Safir quoted the French paper as saying that one of the convicts known as Ali Zeinab told the judiciary in France that he had delivered money to Head of the Future Party Saad Hariri's attorney Beshara Tarabay, who in his turn assured to Zeinab that Hariri had received 7 million Euros.

According to As-Safir, Zeinab's words were not the only proof tracking the involvement of Hariri in the case. France resorted to tracking the phone line of Zeinab, where data showed that Zeinab was indeed in direct contact with Tarabay as well as with Fahed Rafiq Hariri. Sources said that as investigations continue, the Hariri brothers denied having contacted Zeinab and Hariri denied that Tarabay is his attorney.

AL-LIWAA: Berri Waits for Blocs' Responses to Electoral Draft-Law

Head of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri assured on Monday that what matters for him is the interest of the people in first place, urging parliamentary blocs to respond to his latest proposal.

According to al-Liwaa newspaper, Berri said that he is waiting for responses from parliamentary blocs to his proposal in which he suggests "including an electoral draft-law on the agenda of a session for which he intends to call."

"In light of their responses [the bloc's responses], I will act accordingly," Berri was quoted by his visitors as saying in Ain al-Tineh on Sunday.

The House Speaker stated that during the all-party talks last week; all sides backed his initiative to convene a legislative session except for the Kataeb [Phalanges] Party.

Berri further said that he will put forward in the legislative session a decision made by the parliament, which calls for not approving any electoral law before the election of a president.

"But if the Parliament's General Assembly decides to cancel it, then I will call for a session to discuss an electoral law before the end of May in which the 17 electoral draft-laws will be put forward for discussion," he went on to say. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, when the term of former President Michel Suleiman came to an end.

AL-AKHBAR: Loan Dedicated to Refugees' Crisis Less than One Billion

Member of the parliamentary "Development and Liberation" bloc MP Yassin Jaber told al-Akhbar newspaper that the offer presented by the World Bank to give Lebanon loans without profit which comes in the context of helping Lebanon in its Syrian refugees' crisis is a sum of 5 Billion dollars.

According to the MP, the failure to give Lebanon grants pushed the World Bank to find another way to finance Lebanon, under the condition that the capital be used for projects in infrastructure.

On the other hand, member of the "Change and Reform" parliamentary bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan refuted that Lebanon will be receiving 5 billion dollars as a loan for the refugees' crisis, pointing out that Lebanon's share is less than one billion. He assured that the 5 billion dollars will be dedicated to help the countries of the region including Lebanon. Moreover, he stressed that the refugees' crisis should not be dealt with as a long-term one, and reiterated that the Lebanese government should determine the projects to be carried out using the money.

Currently, there are 4 million Lebanese living in Lebanon; however, 1.3 million Syrian refugees reside in the country as well. This means that 30% of the people residing in Lebanon are Syrian refugees. Lebanese officials including Lebanon's Foreign Minister, Gebran Bassil had warned that Lebanon was threatened by the naturalization of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Source: al-Ahed News