Security Forces Phone Calls in 2012 at LBP 16.6 Billion
Number of mobile phones
Informed sources report that the expansion in distributing mobile phone numbers has assumed an indiscriminate character, unwarranted by the needs and demands of military service, noting that the Cabinet issued in 1995 and 1999 two decisions banning public servants from using mobile phones at the expense of the state. According to the preliminary statistics The Monthly was able to obtain, there are more than 8000 mobile phone numbers put at the disposal of the military as illustrated in Table 1. The Ministry of Telecommunications settles the bills of this mobile usage pursuant to a decision issued in the Cabinet but no data on the actual cost of these bills was made available to us. The provision of the mobile network is extended on an annual basis.
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Number of mobile phones at the disposal of the military |
Table 1 |
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Security apparatus |
Number of mobile phones and date of provision |
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Lebanese Army |
1500 mobile phones on August 24, 2006 (the number has risen in the years that followed and is currently estimated at more than 4000) |
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Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces |
1000 mobile phones on September 15, 2006 1500 mobile phones on February 20, 2007 250 mobile phones on July 14, 2010 |
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Directorate General of State Security |
We failed to obtain the number of mobile phones assigned to the State Security |
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Directorate General of General Security |
500 lines on August 8, 2011 |
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Source: Cabinet proceedings in the respective dates
Cost
According to the 2012 draft budget law, the estimated cost stands at roughly LBP 16.6 billion (roughly LBP 32 billiom), while the actual figure might be twice as much given the high cost of calling from mobile phones. Table 2 illustrates the cost of calls forecast by the 2012 draft budget.
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Cost forecasts according to the 2012 draft budget law by security apparatus |
Table 2 |
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Security apparatus |
Cost of mobile phone calls (amounts in billions of LBP) |
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Lebanese Army |
10 |
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Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces |
4 |
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Directorate General of State Security |
1.3 |
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Directorate General of General Security |
1.2 |
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General Secretariat of the Higher Defense Council |
LBP 3 million |
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Airport Security |
LBP 93 million |
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General Directorate for Administration- Lebanese Army |
LBP 15 million |
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Total |
16.611 |
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Source: 2012 draft budget law
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