Diab signs 2020 state budget, Abdel Samad does not endorse leaked draft
- Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad announced that a cabinet session will be held on Thursday to approve the final draft of the state budget. Abdel Samad added that she does not endorse the leaked draft policy statement that was circulated on social media.
- Earlier Monday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri signed the 2020 state budget before referring it to the presidency.
- The budget, put forth by the previous Hariri government, was endorsed on January 27.
Week of judiciary hearings begins
- After four weeks, George Kazzi and Mohammad Srour, charged for respectively setting an ATM on fire and throwing a molotov cocktail at the Free Patriotic Movement Jounieh office, are still in custody. The judiciary hearing for Hassan Yassine, arrested last week, was postponed Monday at the military court. Tripoli activists Nour Shaheen and Fadel Daraj, who have been in custody for one and two months, respectively, will also undergo a judiciary hearing tomorrow.
- Meanwhile, Investigating Judge Bassam el—Haj j ordered the release of Rabih Zein, accused of blocking roads and vandalism, on a bail of LBP 500,000. The case will be referred to the public prosecution tomorrow.
Anti-Cybercrimes Bureau calls in journalist on Sunday
- Following a defamation lawsuit filed by Cedrus Bank, Lebanon’s Anti-Cybercrimes Bureau called in journalist Gabi Ayoub for further investigations on Sunday. Ayoub is a journalist and Managing Editor for Almarsad Online.
Lebanese banks slash withdrawals by half
- In the latest show of unregulated capital controls, a number of Lebanese banks further capped depositors’ withdrawal limit by 50%.
- Bank Audi’s Withdrawal limit went from 300 USD a week to 300 USD every 5 days, While Blom Bank went from 200 USD per week to 200 USD every two weeks."
REPOSTED FROM @Megaphonenews