Energy Minister Saddi rejects Al-Akhbar report, reaffirms four demands behind cabinet boycott
Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi’s media office rejected a report published by Al-Akhbar newspaper on October 14, 2026, accusing it of misrepresenting the reasons behind his decision to boycott Cabinet meetings.
In a statement responding to an article titled Public Institutions’ Arrears Cannot Conceal Failure: Why Is the Energy Minister Boycotting Cabinet?, the ministry said the decision stemmed from four outstanding government obligations, rather than solely unpaid electricity bills owed by ministries and public institutions.
These include settling public-sector arrears, introducing a variable electricity tariff, reimbursing Electricité du Liban (EDL) for electricity exemptions granted in South Lebanon, and covering the cost of electricity infrastructure repairs in the south.
The statement said Saddi had opposed further accumulating public debt to secure limited electricity supplies, arguing that previous policies had cost Lebanon billions of dollars and contributed to its financial collapse.
It noted that outstanding liabilities under the Iraqi fuel agreement had exceeded $1.215 billion, prompting Saddi to reject further borrowing while encouraging EDL to obtain fuel under the agreement, provided payments were financed through its own electricity bill collections.
The ministry also cited two letters issued by Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), dated June 16 and August 4, 2025, announcing the suspension of fuel oil supplies pending the establishment of a reliable mechanism to address shipments whose payments had been overdue for several years.
The statement accused Al-Akhbar of deliberately distorting the reasons behind Saddi’s boycott and reiterated that the government must address all four demands.
It concluded that Saddi had clearly outlined his position during his October 6, 2026, press conference announcing the boycott.
