BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged the Cabinet to swiftly approve a draft law allowing depositors to gradually recover funds frozen in the banking system since a financial collapse in 2019, a move critical to reviving the economy.
The collapse — the result of decades of unsustainable financial policies, waste and corruption — led the state to default on its sovereign debt and sank the Lebanese pound.
The draft law marks the first time Beirut has put forward legislation aimed at addressing a vast funding shortfall — estimated at $70 billion in 2022 but now believed to be higher.
The Cabinet approved several articles on Monday. Discussions would continue on Tuesday, Information Minister Paul Morcos said. Lebanon’s divided parliament must pass the law after cabinet approval.
Salam said the law is realistic and its goal is to do “justice to depositors,” also spurring recovery in the banking sector.
