Have we become a republic ruled by judges?
The Lebanese National Bloc party stated that clarification is required about yesterday’s leaked agreement between the discriminatory Attorney General Judge Ghassan Awaidat, the Financial Prosecutor General Judge Ali Ibrahim, the Association of Banks and 3 banks, to organize the relationship of banks and depositors. It is noteworthy that none of the parties involved denied that this agreement was made.
In a statement, the Bloc said that such an agreement is not constitutionally within the judiciary’s jurisdiction based on the principle of separating governmental authorities. Such an agreement would mean that we have become a “republic of judges” or what is known as “judiciary rule”.
The Bloc sees that the political explanation of this measure is the fact that the legislative authority failed to do its duty. Such a measure is in practice “Capital Control” which is unconstitutional and can only be imposed through amending the constitution. The Bloc added that a second political explanation is that the parliamentary representatives have become convinced that they have lost their legitimacy and have given up their powers. A third political explanation is that parties who are still publicly against the “International Monetary Fund” might find a cover to justify the fund’s interference as its regulations require that it automatically intervene if Lebanon imposes "Capital Control".
The Bloc warned that the “fund” will impose its harsh conditions on the middle and poor classes in the absence of a governmental plan to reduce the budget deficit and the public debt through fighting corruption, ending waste, recovering stolen funds, and restructuring a public administration that is burdened with fake employment to serve the parties/sects.
In conclusion of its statement the Bloc asserted that parliament cannot legislate, and that the government has not come up with a plan yet in spite of the negative ramifications of each hour of delay. The Bloc again stressed the importance of forming an independent, sovereign government of proficient specialists.