New government in Lebanon renews central bank audit

by SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s incoming finance minister has signed a contract with a New-York-based company to conduct a forensic audit of the country’s central bank, a key demand of the international community to restore confidence in the crisis-struck country. Alvarez & Marsal had pulled out of an earlier deal late last year, complaining that it was not able to acquire the information it needed for its audit. The withdrawal was a blow to calls for accountability in the country mired in decades of corruption. The new government named this month made the forensic audit a top priority. Finance Minister Youssef El Khalil signed it on Friday.