Ex-justice minister and Tripoli parliamentary candidate Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi vowed Wednesday to hold authorities accountable over what he called “the scandal of the century.”

“A lot have been recently talking about the issue of electricity and certainly it is our right to have 24/24 power supply,” Rifi tweeted.

“Amid this talk, we've noticed that there is a concentration on specific (power generation) ships, a specific firm and specific prices,” the ex-minister added.

He lamented that “the rental cost exceeds the ships' price” and that the barges would only provide “very limited hours” of power feed.

“This is the scandal of the century and the insolence in theft is unprecedented in the history of the Lebanese state,” Rifi decried.

He noted that every Lebanese knows that “the scandal of the ships deal is aimed at splitting shares in order to fill pockets and fund the elections.”

“The solution does not need a miracle, seeing as all countries of the world can provide electricity and uninterrupted supply within one year, whereas the Lebanese are still suffering from a vicious circle,” Rifi added.

He noted that there is a temporary solution through reputable European and American firms that “can provide 24/24 power supply without costing the treasury a single Lebanese pound.”

“Uninterrupted power supply is not a favor from anyone. Enough with theft and we will hold you accountable in the election. The same as we fought terrorism, we will fight corruption, because both of them can destroy the country,” Rifi pledged.

Chronic power shortages since the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war have been a main source of grievance among Lebanese who have had to put up with daily cuts.