Unpaid port fees leave millions owed to Lebanon’s state — the details

Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

They say unattended money invites misuse. So what happens when that money belongs to the Lebanese state, and the state has not claimed it for years?

The issue surfaced when the Lebanese State Security office at the Port of Beirut obtained information confirming that dozens of shipping agencies and service companies had failed to pay required fees for port services — such as unloading vessels — for years.

Investigations revealed that some companies have owed millions of dollars since 2011 and have yet to pay.

The Lebanese State Security opened an investigation and informed Financial Prosecutor Judge Maher Chaito, who then expanded the probe.

According to information obtained by LBCI, State Security’s findings were confirmed. It quickly became clear that unpaid invoices owed to the port authority amount to about $5 million — not including accumulated fines, which Judge Chaito is expected to address.

If Judge Chaito orders the companies to pay fines in addition to the unpaid fees, the total amount owed to the port authority would rise to roughly $9.2 million.

Two of the companies each owe around $1.5 million, while others owe no more than about $500.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, the Financial Prosecutor may exempt companies that owned ships sunk in the Beirut Port explosion from paying these fees.