Lebanon: Beirut airport expansion project in crisis provokes uproar
Rafik Hariri International Airport, Beirut, March 19, 2020. © Hassan Ammar / AP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
A project to build a new terminal at Beirut airport has sparked an uproar in the country, as Lebanon is going through an unprecedented economic and financial crisis. Local and European NGOs, as well as Lebanese MPs, denounced on Wednesday (March 29th) the lack of transparency in the allocation of this $122 million project.
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With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh
The announcement of the expansion of Beirut airport when the state does not have the means to pay its civil servants or feed its army, and more than 80% of the population has fallen into poverty, has caused a stir in Lebanon.
This terminal is expected to come into operation in 2027 and would allow the airport to handle 3.5 million passengers per year. The project would promote "the creation of nearly 2,500 jobs," according to Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamiyé.
These arguments did not convince the Lebanese of the usefulness of this project. Ten NGOs and several MPs expressed their concern on Wednesday 29 March about what they call "abuses that open the door to corruption and nepotism and allow the illegal use of public funds".
The project was awarded by mutual agreement to an Irish company and a Lebanese company. But the European Observatory for Lebanon's Integrity sent a letter to Ireland's Financial Crime Office urging it to investigate the memorandum of understanding.
Wanting to be reassuring, the Minister of Public Works affirmed that the Lebanese Treasury will not bear any costs. Despite these assurances, the controversy continues to swell in Lebanon.
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- Lebanon
- Economy
- Economic crisis