The ministry’s call

It’s the classic hustle: squeeze a sucker for time so he signs on the line before he has the chance to think twice. Right now there are more than a few Lebanese wondering if they’ve just been duped.  At the end of January this year, the Lebanese government signed new contracts with Orascom Telecoms Media and Technology (OTMT) and Zain to manage the two state-owned mobile phone operators, Mobile Interim Company 1 (MIC 1) and Mobile Interim Company 2 (MIC 2), commonly known as Alfa and MTC, respectively.  The signing of the new contracts initially caused little commotion. That was until Future Movement opposition parliamentarian Ghazi Youssef publically denounced the Ministry of Telecommunications (MoT) for forgery and underhand dealings. The ministry was swift in its rebuttal, accusing Youssef of abusing his parliamentary immunity in order to level slanderous accusations.  What has helped raise the eyebrows of suspicion is the fact