Part of the causes of corruption in Lebanon lie in political and cultural reasons ineffective criminal prosecution can still promote. Surprisingly, in democratic governed countries such as the form of government in Lebanon as the parliamentary republic, it is regularly lower. In the same way, corruption is much higher in low-income countries. In Lebanon, income but capita is relatively low compared to the rest of the world.
The cost of living is in a discreet midfield, but it shows neither great poverty nor great prosperity. Systematic corruption in Lebanon reaches state institutions, and public services and often also affect the private sector. The true root cause of this situation is the Lebanese confessional political system that is based on promises of power among each of the members of the elite that represents the various communities. These people distribute wealth and services through client networks that produce binding ties between citizens and the ruling elite.
These networks have hindered the development of state regulatory institutions that can counteract widespread corruption, and have also contributed to minimizing the space for civil society. The chronic corruption that involves Lebanon, mainly in the most important public agencies, has caused the Lebanese state to lose large funds annually. This has been integrating the free zone of the port and Beirut airport, transit authorities, telecommunications and employment in the public sector.
With a large debt of 4,000 million dollars in 2016, the Lebanese executive has tried to take liquidity out of the pocket of its citizens in order to pay the promised salary increase of the officials. The tax increase directly affects daily consumption with an increase in a VAT point. It also affects companies and banks but not progressively. The State lacks transparency and has been issuing annual budgets for 12 years without their approval by Parliament. A practice that has allowed the expansion of nepotism among leaders who avoid accountability on budget items or beneficiary companies.
One of the clearest examples is the garbage crisis in Lebanon, it can be seen how promiscuous relations result in failures in the provision of services and have devastating consequences for citizens. The four councils and funds that are part of the cabinet of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, also distributed according to confessional criteria, are widely perceived as the archetype of sponsorship. The general perception is that each investor systematically pays bribes to achieve only 2.4 percent of the projects valued in millions of dollars, which the government contracted were awarded through formal mechanisms by the Bid Administration.
According to studies in nine Arab countries, 92% percent of Lebanese believe that corruption is on the rise. Corruption is a phenomenon that is constantly growing, with a particular impact on Lebanon, a nation that has plunged into a serious political crisis. The discontent of the masses against their respective governments is integrated, accused of not doing enough in the fight against corruption that they are suffering today.Lebanon is ranked 42 in the list of the most corrupt countries in the world. Reducing poverty, restructuring the economy, taking into account the lack of confidence of foreign investors and the limited impact of any action of the Lebanese Central Bank is quite complicated. A prime minister and a weak government cannot offer very concrete solutions to end a corruption that is totally widespread in Lebanon for so many decades.
Pierre El Sokhn
