The security of Lebanese politicians…for rent

The Lebanese authorities are seeking to confront the effects of the financial and economic crisis on its security forces, by imposing “fees” on the guards in excess of the share of former officials, which they used to bypass by some means. Thus, the security of the country’s politicians has become rent, while the state imposes on those wishing to increase their guards to pay the salaries of the military.

At the end of the last month of his term, Lebanese President Michel Aoun signed a decree increasing the number of soldiers assigned to protect former officials, but official sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that this increase aims in fact to reduce the number of soldiers dismissed for protection. The sources confirmed that the decree “charges each official the costs of the salaries of the additional elements he wants to protect.” The government source compared the previously enforced decree with the new decree.

And every president of the republic, upon the end of his term, the Republican Guard separated 12 members for him, but according to custom, he obtained dozens of members and sergeants, and then the new decree came to add to them 12 elements, and withdraw all the additional numbers from him, so that each former president has 24 elements. .

As for the former prime minister, he is also entitled to 24 members. It is reported that the former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, has 130 members of the Internal Security Forces, who will pay their monthly salaries from his personal account, and pay them to the “Wage Services Fund” in the Internal Security Forces, so that these funds are spent on the medical and hospital expenses of the members of the apparatus.