Lebanese Cabinet urges judiciary not to fall for populism as banks plan strike

Lebanese Cabinet urges judiciary not to fall for populism as banks plan strike

BEIRUT: A Cabinet meeting was convened on Saturday to address judicial actions against seven banks in Lebanon. The meeting conducted a review of the conflict between banks and the judiciary. The extraordinary session was held under the title “The higher interest of the state.” The Cabinet concluded with Mikati affirming that the council of ministers had agreed that the law would take its course based on the principle of cooperation between the authorities without any discrimination or discretion. It also agreed that judicial matters would be resolved according to laws by the staff of the judicial authority. A ministerial source who took part in the session told Arab News that the ministers saw that it was not allowed for judges to use depositors’ money to achieve a certain populism. The judge should not be a populist and tweet on Twitter, some ministers reportedly felt. “The banks are indeed mistaken and there is indeed a major crisis, but it should be addressed in a balanced and non-random manner,” they suggested. In response to what it described as a “judicial attack on banks,” the Association of Banks has called for the issuance of the capital control law as soon as possible. In