IMF accused of leaving important data out of Lebanon economy report – The National

IMF accused of leaving important data out of Lebanon economy report – The National

The International Monetary Fund has omitted vital information from a 2016 report that sounded the alarm about the state of Lebanon’s financial system, Swiss publication Le Temps reported on Thursday.

The final version of the report, which was published in 2017, was cut short by 14 pages at the request of the country’s central bank to omit data that highlighted risks to Lebanon's financial stability, the newspaper said.

Less than three years later, a financial meltdown unfolded with the Lebanese pound losing more than 90 per cent of its value against the dollar, while half the population are now living below the poverty line.