LIMS broke an exclusive story on the squandered money in the government’s public auction. In the auction for the airport’s free zone, only one bidder applied, and his price was slightly higher than the opening price set in the book of conditions. More generally, there is a permanent suspicion of collusion between bidders in government auctions. Other examples of squandered money include auctions denominated in Lebanese pounds without any inflation adjustment factor. The winners end up paying much less value with the devaluation of the currency.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Energy and Water contracted cleaning the coast of the Nahr al-Kalb river without doing a proper tender, by not announcing and publishing it on the electronic platform of the Public Procurement Authority or the Official Gazette. The river happens to be rich in sand that has economic value. LIMS issued a series of recommendations to address those problems.

LIMS Media Interviews:

• Waste of Public Money on the Airport’s Free Zone Bidding and at the Ministry of Energy, January 28, 2023: LIMSLB, Article AR