BEIRUT: The lack of accountability and lax attitudes over the implementation of food security rules undermines the campaign to go after food violators, Health Minister Wael Abu Faour has cautioned, lamenting that no arrests have been made since the scandal broke two months ago.
In an interview published Monday in daily Al-Akhbar, Abu Faour said his anti-food corruption campaign “lacked an essential element, which is accountability.”
“We have not taken effective measures to sanction violators. There are state institutions and private businesses that should be held accountable and sanctioned by the judiciary,” Abu Faour said.
He deplored the absence of follow up on the application of rules and decisions to curb food corruption, noting that many institutions accused of violating food security enjoyed political cover and protection by parliamentary blocs and ministers.
“There are 19 cancer cases among employees of Beirut’s slaughterhouse, rats in the port’s silos, and pathetic conditions at the airport’s warehouse, and no one was apprehended... This is the biggest failure (of the campaign),” Abu Faour said.
Although he acknowledged that there are limitations to what his ministry could do to avoid trespassing on other ministries’ prerogatives, Abu Faour vowed not to stay idle.
“I have asked the prime minister to take the necessary measures (to purge) the various ministries, and I will be submitting a comprehensive report to the council of ministers comprising the names of (corrupt) officials who must be dismissed,” Abu Faour said.
Stressing that the main aim of the campaign was to “ensure a minimum food safety for the Lebanese,” Abu Faour pointed out that his ministry will take measures to regulate and control the sector, including health certification and licensing.
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