Bassil Shrugs off Red Diesel Corruption, Says Refineries Should be Rewarded Instead
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil defended on Thursday oil refineries that have been accused of corruption saying they should be rewarded rather than questioned over the red diesel scandal.
In remarks to As Safir daily, Bassil said: “The oil refineries that are being accused of corruption and making illicit gains should be rewarded because they sold red diesel at a total amount that is less than what is allowed for and not more as is being rumored.”
The scandal erupted last week when reports said that the oil refinery in northern Lebanon delivered to oil and distribution companies 8 million liters of diesel oil hours before the end of a one-month government subsidy of LL3,000 that was initially aimed at helping poor families in cold areas to use the diesel for heating.
The companies have reportedly made millions of dollars in profits in the scam.
But Bassil stressed that the amount of red diesel sold in the last day of the subsidy deadline at midnight January 18 did not exceed the rate that was registered days earlier and which amounted to 7-8.5 million liters.
He also told An Nahar newspaper that judicial agencies should announce the results of their probe to find out whether the oil refineries were guilty or not so that they could either be held accountable or compensated.
The Audit Bureau questioned on Wednesday the directors general of oil refineries in Zahrani in southern Lebanon and Tripoli but decided to dispatch inspectors to the Deir Amar refinery in the north.
The head of the Bureau, Judge Aouni Ramadan, stressed on Thursday that the scandal only involved the refinery in the north. Zahrani escaped unscathed from the investigation into the alleged corruption.
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