This is a belated act of revenge for our success in helping send Riad Salameh to prison. How could we forget that the former Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon chose MTV to showcase what he claimed was his wealth, which he had “successfully multiplied”? Back then, Salameh—now a prisoner—responded to the “Crystal Credit” report, which included information about billions of dollars he had transferred to accounts abroad. After “Crystal Credit,” the string of scandals unravelled, prompting action by the European judiciary and later the Lebanese one—and here we are: their central banker is behind bars.

Do you remember the press conference that MTV alone aired, on the very day Salameh felt justice closing in on him?

We won’t forget MTV’s role in that explosive scandal, nor will we forget the jailed governor’s close friend, none other than Marcel Ghanem—host of “Sar El Wa’et”—who regularly features his brother Georges Ghanem on the show after helping him secure a job at Casino du Liban, as revealed by documents we previously published. We all know, of course, that the casino falls within the sphere of influence of the Central Bank.

MTV is now trying to cover up the crime of the century—the theft of more than 1.5 million Lebanese depositors’ savings—by peddling a laughable claim that we, the independent media, are the ones responsible for the state’s bankruptcy and for spreading the cash economy! The sheer absurdity of this accusation reveals the depth of wrongdoing and the network’s own complicity in the banks’ crimes.

So now, according to MTV, Daraj and Megaphone are behind the financial collapse.

Can you believe that? What kind of trouble are they trying to hide behind this narrative?

And what about the European investigations? What about the documented money transfers carried out by certain banks for politicians and journalists? What about the confession made by banker Marwan Kheireddine to the French investigative judge, where he named names and detailed the transfers? And what about the president of the Association of Banks, Salim Sfeir, whose bank transferred millions of dollars to his company in Cyprus—while simultaneously barring depositors from accessing their own funds? As for the story of the $1 billion loan Riad Salameh gave to Antoun Sehnaoui’s bank in 2019, our investigations exposed that too. It sheds some light on why Sehnaoui is now so furious at independent media.

So now, Daraj, Megaphone, Legal Agenda, and of course Kulluna Irada are behind the collapse. Does Mr. Michel El Murr truly believe MTV’s viewers will buy into that? Does he not realize he’s insulting their intelligence by asking them to believe such lies?

And while we’re on the topic, let’s recall who really stood in the way of the people and worked to protect the financial and political system behind the banks. It was Hezbollah. Its late Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, in three consecutive speeches, threatened to use force to protect the system from falling. Hezbollah—MTV’s supposed sectarian rival and yet its ally in the ruling establishment—was the one that voted for their shared candidate for the governorship. Karim Said would never have become Central Bank Governor without the party’s votes.

On his channel, Michel el Murr himself the person who said: “If it weren’t for Michel El Murr’s shoe, you wouldn’t have made it to parliament.” And he did it—without apologizing to his viewers for such an insult to voters in the first place. Can you imagine the mentality we’re dealing with, and the type of media we’re contending with?

This delayed attempt at revenge on behalf of Riad Salameh coincides with the crucial moment of the Bank Secrecy Law. This is the law we hope will finally expose—to the judiciary and to the public—the secrets of the financial inferno of past years, during which “financial engineering” operations led to catastrophe. During this time, banks funneled our deposits to the Central Bank, which then used them to finance Hezbollah’s state and keep it from collapsing. And this is precisely what reveals and strips bare the ruling system.

Michel El Murr may be against Hezbollah, the “Shia party,” but he’s firmly with Hezbollah, the “banking party.” When Hezbollah prevented the collapse of the banking state, it was defending the system that El Murr is at the very heart of. We must keep repeating this truth. And the Cabinet session during which the new central bank governor was elected is further proof of our claims.

Today, MTV has launched a campaign against the Bank Secrecy Law proposed by the government—because of the scandalous implications it may carry for the channel’s funders. But soon, we’ll witness the channel swallowing its own tongue after Morgan Ortagus, Donald Trump’s former envoy to Lebanon, informed Lebanese officials of the U.S. position that the law must be passed. MTV will fall silent, and the law will pass smoothly.

As for funding: we publicly list who funds us on our website and are ready to disclose our bank accounts—not just to the judiciary, but to the public as well. In return, we suggest that Michel El Murr disclose MTV’s bank accounts—and let the public be the judge.