Aoun Chairs Meeting to Accelerate Forensic Audit

President Michel Aoun discussed with caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni the steps to accelerate the agreement with Alvarez & Marsal forensic audit firm, after the Lebanese Parliament approved the law of suspending bank secrecy for one year, the National News Agency reported.

The meeting was held at Baabda Palace and attended by former Minister Salim Jreisatti, and Director General of the Lebanese Presidency, Antoine Choucair, the agency said.

The parliament has approved a request to run forensic audit not only into the central bank accounts, but also to extend it to cover all state institutions.

The International Monetary Fund and France are among creditors demanding the audit as part of urgent reforms to unlock financial support, as the country faces a grinding economic crisis

The government hired a New York-based company, Alvarez and Marsal, to conduct the audit of the central bank, which later pulled out, saying it was unable to acquire needed information and documents.