Michel Aoun criticizes budget, says it codifies injustice and losses
1/30/2026 10:55:00 AM
Former president Michel Aoun said that accountability and uncovering the truth are essential to healing national loss, drawing a parallel between personal grief and Lebanon’s financial collapse.
In a post on X, Aoun argued that denial and misinformation only deepen wounds, stressing that recovery comes through acknowledgment, accountability, and fair judicial action when crimes are committed.
He likened this principle to the situation facing Lebanese citizens today, who have lost their bank deposits and lifetime savings. Aoun accused the authorities of numbing the public with promises they know will not be fulfilled, while continuing to cover up what he described as “the theft of the century” and shielding those responsible. He questioned how Lebanese funds were looted, who carried out the thefts, who protected those involved, who obstructed reforms, and who undermined the forensic audit to obscure accountability.
Aoun said the recent approval of the budget reinforces the same approach, arguing that it entrenches injustice instead of addressing it, legitimizes losses rather than revealing their causes, and places the burden of the collapse on citizens through higher taxes. He added that this is being done without holding those responsible to account and without presenting a clear plan to restore people’s rights.
He concluded that uncovering the truth and ensuring accountability are not political luxuries, but among the most basic rights denied to the Lebanese people, and a necessary first step toward recovery and emerging from the crisis.
In a post on X, Aoun argued that denial and misinformation only deepen wounds, stressing that recovery comes through acknowledgment, accountability, and fair judicial action when crimes are committed.
He likened this principle to the situation facing Lebanese citizens today, who have lost their bank deposits and lifetime savings. Aoun accused the authorities of numbing the public with promises they know will not be fulfilled, while continuing to cover up what he described as “the theft of the century” and shielding those responsible. He questioned how Lebanese funds were looted, who carried out the thefts, who protected those involved, who obstructed reforms, and who undermined the forensic audit to obscure accountability.
Aoun said the recent approval of the budget reinforces the same approach, arguing that it entrenches injustice instead of addressing it, legitimizes losses rather than revealing their causes, and places the burden of the collapse on citizens through higher taxes. He added that this is being done without holding those responsible to account and without presenting a clear plan to restore people’s rights.
He concluded that uncovering the truth and ensuring accountability are not political luxuries, but among the most basic rights denied to the Lebanese people, and a necessary first step toward recovery and emerging from the crisis.