Dispute over a tax imposed by the Ministry of Finance on Pierre Fattouch was potent enough to unveil an unprecedented “phenomenon” sparked by caretaker Ministers Nicholas Fattouch and Mohammad al-Safadi.

The two ministers who belong to the same government didn’t hesitate to brush aside statesmen’s correctitude and decency, slumping down to an infrequent debased level as they started bandying around accusations.

Caretaker Minister of State Nicholas Fattouch fired a fusillade against his colleague, Minister of Finance Mohammad al-Safadi. Zahle lawmaker accused Safadi of adopting a militia-style behavior, acquiring wealth through arms trade and other illegal traffics, being incompetent as a minister of finance and sponsoring employees who receive bribes and act as gangsters.

Fattouch also upbraided Safadi for occupying seafront properties near his residence for a song, owning violative chalets in Amchit and taking over “Zaytouna Bay”, the luxurious waterfront promenade built on reclaimed land along Beirut’s downtown coastline.

It’s worth noting that the entity responsible for the Zaytouna Bay project is the Beirut Waterfront Development company which is jointly owned by Solidere and Stow Capital partners. Stow Capital’s primary shareholder is Minister Mohammad al-Safadi.

According to Fattouch, Safadi turns a blind eye to ongoing violations so that he won’t be questioned over those he orchestrates himself.

All these scathing accusations were not enough to appease Minister Fattouch who carried on by showcasing what he claimed as scandals and corruptive practices at the ministry of finance.

This harsh salvo failed to pass unnoticed by Minister Safadi who labeled Fattouch as “deficient” and “liar”, criticizing his “obscene level”, “degraded history” and “cheap claims”.

Given that Minister Nicholas Fattouch’s name has been closely linked to the contentious issue of quarries, Safadi fired back at his cabinet colleague saying that “civilization contradicts with quarries”.

It seems that the two ministers are bracing for a protracted war as vowed by Minister Fattouch.

The Fattouch-Safadi verbal offensive may not be the first of its kind as it reflects the mentality and behavior of those who are supposed to be statesmen.

The impact entailed by such a “plight” would have been less striking if the ripple effects were only limited between the belligerent ministers; however, such a dispute would only prejudice Lebanon’s prestige and distort its reputation and image.