Republic of Lebanon
After the issuance of the Offshore Petroleum Resources Law (OPRL), it was necessary to put in place legal provisions that enforce commitment to transparency and combating corruption in the petroleum sector and to join international initiatives that enhance the disclosure of information and data related to the implementation of petroleum activities in the Lebanese Offshore. The issuance of the Law Enhancing Transparency in the Petroleum Sector in 2018 that covers the whole value chain of petroleum activities came in parallel with the issuance of other laws that enhance transparency and contribute to fighting corruption in the country in general, such as the Access to Information Law, the Law on Protection of Whistleblowers, and the law establishing the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Furthermore, some decrees including provisions about commitment to transparency and anti-corruption have also been issued.
The laws and decrees related to publication and disclosure mainly cover the publication and disclosure of
agreements and contracts concluded by the state and public administrations and the financial statements of
these ministries and administrations.
According to the provisions stipulated in these laws, the relevant authorities are required to publish
contracts and documents and disclose information related to the sectors they manage. These laws also allow
the public to request information in case such information is not classified as secret.
This law (no. 28/2018) gives every natural or legal person the right to access and view the information and
documents in the administration without abusing of such right.
This law established, for the first time in Lebanon, a rule for publishing automatically the decisions,
instructions, circulars and notes that include an explanation of laws and related regulations on the
administrations’ websites.
Click here to submit your electronic request of information.
Law no. 84/2018 (Law Enhancing Transparency in the Petroleum Sector) has been issued in October 2018. The
two requirements of publication and disclosure under this law constitutes the main pillars to monitor the
adequacy, credibility and quality of information related to petroleum activities during all phases starting
with the prequalification of companies to participate in licensing rounds and going through the whole value
chain until Decommissioning and the cessation of petroleum activities.
As per this law, The Administration, The relevant parties, Publication and Disclosure are defined as
follows:
The two requirements of publication and disclosure, and the inherent deadlines
The Decree on Registration, Mortgaging and Transfer of Petroleum Rights stipulates the creation of a Petroleum
Register to record awarded Petroleum Rights and any changes or mortgages related to these Petroleum Rights. The
Petroleum Register secures the rights of the Right Holders, establishes notoriety towards third parties (other
than the State and the Right Holders) and transparency regarding the specified Registrable Petroleum Rights.
The information contained in the Petroleum Register is publicly available, including electronically via
internet, and any natural or legal Person may request a printout certificate from the Petroleum Register.
The provisions of this decree go beyond Right Holders and their affiliates and wholly-owned affiliates to cover
Beneficial Owners and Politically Exposed Persons who own shares and rights in these companies.
The Decree on Contracts Disclosure aims to complete the legislative framework related to transparency in the petroleum sector. This decree sets the principle of disclosing contracts between Right Holders and Contractors and between Right Holders and Subcontractors.
The legal provisions related to accountability are distributed among the various legal texts related to the
legislative framework of the petroleum sector. These provisions have been put into effect since the issuance of
the Petroleum Activities Regulations (Decree no. 10289/2013) which includes an article entitled "Prevention of
Corruption" (Article 162). Subsequently, the Model Exploration and Production Agreement was issued pursuant to
Decree No. 43/2017 (amended by Decree No. 4918/2019). This model included two articles related to
accountability, one entitled "Right Holder Conduct” (Article 41) and the second entitled "Conflict of
Interest" (Article 42).
In the year 2018, the Law Enhancing Transparency in the Petroleum Sector (No. 84/2018) has been issued, and it
has included provisions about accountability and provisions to fight corruption, especially provisions related
to the refrainment of public officials of all ranks from combining their position with the investment in the oil
and gas sector in Lebanon. This law also grants "oil and gas associations" in Lebanon, the right to prosecute
those involved in corruption within specific controls. The law also grants the National Anti-Corruption
Commission powers to ensure the proper implementation of Law No. 84/2018 and to monitor the adequacy,
credibility and quality of information that requires disclosure or publication, as well as the power to receive
complaints related to the implementation of the provisions of this law.
Also in the year 2018, the Law for the Protection of Whistleblowers has been issued (Law no. 83/2018 published
in the Official Gazette no. 45 issued on October 18, 2018), which grants protection and some incentives to a
person who denunciates any act or omission, that happened or may happen, and it is believed that it relates to,
evidences or helps to prove corruption, provided that its disclosure is submitted exclusively to the National
Anti-Corruption Commission in accordance with the principles specified in the law. This law defines corruption
as the employee's exploitation of the authority, position, or work with the goal of achieving undue legal
benefits.