Mehr News Agency – US sanctions – The Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement Hassan Nasrallah said Monday that fighting corruption in Lebanon is the main achievement of the latest developments in the country. Speaking in a televised speech which marks the Day of Martyrs, Hassan Nasrallah said that Lebanese should overcome divisions and focus on national consensus. He said that fighting corruption and solving economic problems takes time, adding that fighting corruption in Lebanon is the main achievement of the latest developments in the country. He said that corrupt officials in Lebanon should be dealt with seriously and called for bringing the corrupt individuals to justice and retrieve their assets and money they have stolen.
The Hezbollah chief also said that all Lebanese should take part in the fight against corruption by cooperating with the Judiciary. Any people with information about the corrupt official should be able to report the cases to the Judiciary, according to Nasrallah. He called on the Judiciary to take complete responsibility for fighting corruption. “If there is any case related to any Hezbollah official, do not be afraid and go ahead and report it to the Judiciary,” the Hezbollah chief said. He said the accusations against Hezbollah as false and are all just ‘talk’, asking the judges to follow in the footsteps of martyrs by taking courageous steps to save the country. He went on to say that there should be no discrimination in the fight against corruption.
The US has prevented Lebanon from getting back on its feet over the past years adding that the US sanctions are hampering Lebanon’s economy. He added that Americans are preventing Chinese companies from investing in Lebanon. He warned the Lebanese protesters to know who the friend, the ally and who their enemy is. Nasrallah said that Americans are obstructing the Chinese as well as Iranian companies to invest in Lebanon and take part in the reconstructing Syria. He further noted that the US sanctions are also preventing the Lebanese companies to take part in Syria‘s reconstruction. Americans are doing their best to exert economic pressure on Lebanon, he added.
Elsewhere, he rejected as baseless and lies the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s remarks on Iran’s role in Lebanon’s corruption, saying that the individuals and entities related to the US are involved in corruption. He further said that the Americans are taking advantage of protests in Lebanon for their own interests. Hezbollah leader also said that in the American officials’ eyes, Iran’s influence in Lebanon means backing the Resistance Front.
