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A gunman took several employees and clients hostage a branch of a bank in central Beirut to ask for the return of their savings stuck in the entity due to the severe economic crisis unleashed in Lebanon almost three years ago. After several hours of negotiations and tensions, he put an end to the entrenchment: they paid for it
The 42-year-old man, who had been in the bank with a rifle and petrol since this morning, had deposited $ 209,000 before the start of the economic crisis unleashed in that country and over the past three years, the institution only gave him access to 1,000the Lebanese Depositors Association explained on its Twitter account.
According to the organization, the customer needed the money to do this pay for the care of the sick fatherwho is in hospital and needs about $ 50,000 to cover medical bills.
Official sources report that the man who had barricaded himself in the bank “went out accompanied by the security forces, after leaving the agreed amount of money“in the hands of his brother. The man was finally arrested.
The president of the group, Hasan Mughanieh, was in charge of negotiating with the Association of Banks on behalf of the “entrenched”, and although it was not specified whether he was finally able to withdraw all savings, the deal was signed with the deposition of those involved.
The savior who took the hostages has a gun and fuel. Photo: EFE
A strong security device was posted on the doors of the bank branches. Shortly before the kidnapper’s departure, many of the employees he had taken hostage gradually left the bank, the banking group confirmed.
Several dozen savers had come to the area to show their solidarity with the slope, which threatened to use gasoline to set itself on fire.
The civil war in Lebanon
Following the civil war fought in the country between 1975 and 1990 and the consequent collapse of the local currency, the Lebanese population began a trend towards saving in dollars which strengthened over the years.
At the same time, the banking system, encouraged by the very high interest rates offered, became the holder of most of the debt issued by the post-war state to compensate for its deficit, amid endemic corruption and losses recorded by state companies.
At the end of 2019, it became apparent that entities did not have enough liquidity to provide dollars to all depositors and the system collapsed, causing the virtual freezing of dollar accounts.
The banks have taken some measures such as allowing the withdrawal in Lebanese pounds at a slightly higher exchange rate than the official one, of about 1,500 units per dollar, but much lower than that offered in the parallel market, where in recent months it has closed at 35,000 pounds per dollar. US invoice.
Furthermore, in the context of the severe economic crisis unleashed almost three years ago, the local currency has lost more than 90% of its value, almost 80% of the population has fallen into poverty, there is a lack of basic products and food, inflation it is counted in the hundreds.
With information from EFE
DD
Source: Clarin
