6 days ago
Aoun congratulates Regie one day after anti-smuggling military operation in al-Buss camp near Sour
BEIRUT — During a visit to the Régie Libanaise de Tabacs et Tombacs (Lebanon's tobacco authority)'s headquarters in Hadath on Friday, President Joseph Aoun congratulated the members of the authority's Anti-Smuggling Unit on the success of a raid one day earlier in the al-Buss Palestinian refugee camp near Sour, where they seized large quantities of smuggled cigarettes.
Three members of the unit were injured during the raid, including the unit's commander, Elie Geagea, as the patrol came under fire. The Lebanese army ended up intervening during the operation.
"What you have done is a source of pride and additional proof that when the state is determined, no one can stand in its way. Combating smuggling and counterfeit cigarettes of all kinds is one of the achievements that protects Lebanese society and preserves the safety and health of the Lebanese people", Aoun told the members of the unit who carried out the special operation on Thursday, according to the state-run National News Agency.
Aoun's visit on Friday part of a series of inspection visits the President is conducting to a number of public administrations and institutions to check on their operations and assess their needs.
During the visit, the President stressed that the "success of any official or public institution is achieved through proper management", considering that "there are no bad institutions, but rather bad management that leads employees to corruption, bribery, and extortion of citizens." ""I chose today, August 1, Army Day, to visit the Regie to thank those in charge for their tireless efforts to make this institution a success", Aoun added.
The Regie was established 90 years ago. In 1990, it was transformed into a public facility under the supervision of the Finance Ministry.
