Resorting to force has become the only way for depositors to recover their money
The storming of banks in Lebanon continues, with the intensification of the financial crisis, and the banks’ reluctance to return the depositors’ money, whose resort to force has become their only way to recover these funds.
Yesterday, two raids were recorded by two depositors at the BLOM Bank in Beirut and the Mediterranean Bank in Aley, Mount Lebanon, and the two operations ended with the depositors receiving $50,000 of their money. An informed source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the intruders were not prosecuted, while the first intruder of a bank was arrested for a few days in 2019, before being released without being charged.
The young woman, Sally Al-Hafiz, stormed a branch of the “BLOM Bank” in the Sodeco area in Beirut, took a number of hostages, threw gasoline on herself and threatened to set her on fire, if she did not hand over her deposit to treat her sick sister, before she was able to get the amount of 20 thousand dollars. . Pictures spread on social media of Sally, while she was at the bank, carrying the weapon, which she then said was not a real one. She confirmed on her Facebook account that she decided to get her money to pay the costs of treating her sister, who suffers from cancer.
A similar operation took place at a branch of the “Mediterranean Bank” in Aley, Mount Lebanon; Where Rami Sharaf El-Din stormed him. Information indicated that he was able to obtain 30 thousand dollars, and surrendered himself to the security services.
Hassan Mughniyeh, head of the Depositors Association, expected that “if the situation continues as it is, we will face similar operations on a daily basis, following three years have passed without any plan to return depositors’ money.”
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