A major scandal centered on the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, who purposefully disbursed a financial reward worth more than one billion Lebanese pounds as a fee allowance to thank the ministry’s senior employees and advisors for their contributions to the electoral process.

This behavior enraged state officials and the military, particularly those who did their utmost to ensure the success of the electoral process despite being subjected to material and moral prejudice and humiliation as a result of the financial collapse and their tragic situation as a result of their salaries, which are now worth only a few dollars.

The decision of the Minister of Interior, which spread like wildfire, did not go unnoticed, especially since the bonuses granted are double the salaries of senior officials in the Lebanese state, and they also exceeded more than fifty times the salaries of some beneficiaries of this bonus, which is equivalent to the salary of four years of hard work.

Sources familiar with the Minister of Interior’s decision confirm to Sawt Beirut International that what was leaked from the list of names that received a reward through the media is not the only list, noting that there are employees and military personnel in the Ministry of Interior who also benefited from these grants, without mentioning their names.

Sources revealed that the biggest amount spent by a senior staffer in the ministry was 200 million pounds. For the remainder of the employees, their pay fluctuated depending on their level of compliance, and they were not done to justice, work, or fairness. According to the sources, the decision of the Minister of Interior was deliberately leaked either from the departments of the Ministry of Interior or from within the corridors of the Ministry of Finance by some disgruntled people who performed their duties like their comrades but were not among the lucky ones.

It is worth noting that the actions of the Minister of Interior enraged public sector groups and workers, particularly those who engaged in the electoral process. They promised three million and four hundred thousand Lebanese pounds but did not receive it despite the passing of nearly a month since the elections, and despite the fact that they were active participants in the success of this procedure.

It is worth mentioning that the majority of public sector employees and pensioners have had their paychecks postponed until the third of this month, with no transportation allowances, citing a shortage of finances at the Ministry of Finance. The sources are astonished that certain staff and consultants are acting suspiciously while working to gain from personal services using their positions in such an important ministry.