According to a statement released by the US Treasury on Wednesday, a US treasury delegation encouraged Lebanese authorities to launch investigations into abuses of the Lebanese financial system by members of the political and economic elite.

“They highlighted the importance of making serious efforts to examine those abuses, particularly by the Banque du Liban and the Special Investigation Commission,” the statement added, referring to the central bank and an investigation body created to look into illegal financial activity.

“They pressed for competent authorities to conduct investigations and perform due diligence on any linked transactions,” said the statement, which came at the end of the delegation’s three-day visit to Beirut.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami said in a statement on Wednesday that an IMF group could visit Lebanon in the second half of March to resume discussions on an aid program based on reforms.