A Lebanese deputy and depositor receive part of their money after a sit-in inside two banks
Two depositors, one of whom is a member of the Lebanese Parliament, were able to collect part of their deposits from two banks near Beirut, today, Wednesday, a day after a series of raids by depositors to demand their money in a country suffering from a stifling economic crisis.
Yesterday, Tuesday afternoon, Representative Cynthia Zarazir, one of the representatives who arrived in Parliament in the midst of demonstrations opposing the traditional authority, entered a bank in the Antelias area, north of Beirut, accompanied by two lawyers belonging to a group concerned with the rights of depositors and keeping pace with their movements.
Zarazir negotiated with the bank's management to get an amount from her deposit, which she needs for an operation, the insurance company does not cover her entire expenses.
Later, the official National News Agency in Lebanon reported that Zarazir left after receiving $8,500.
Zarazir had been trying for three days to get an appointment with the bank, to no avail.
Since the fall of 2019, Lebanese banks have imposed strict restrictions on the withdrawal of deposits, which have increased little by little, until it has become almost impossible for depositors to dispose of their money, especially those deposited in US dollars, or transfer it abroad.
In the wake of the crisis, which the World Bank has ranked among the worst in the world since 1850, the lira lost about 95 percent of its value.
Since the start of the financial crisis, the waiting halls in banks have witnessed repeated problems between angry citizens wanting to get their deposits and employees who are committed to the instructions of their administrations.
In the southern suburb of Beirut, the retired from the Internal Security Forces, Hussein Shukr, entered a bank to claim his money, which was divided between two deposits, the first amounting to 48 thousand dollars and the second amounting to 270 million Lebanese pounds, which is compensation that he received after 34 years of service.
"They give me five million pounds a month, what can I do with them? Are they enough to pay the electricity subscription," Shukr told AFP, angrily, referring to the private generator bill that covers the hours of power outages throughout the day and asks customers to pay in dollars or according to the market exchange rate. black .
"I will not leave here, for a day, two, three, or even a month. I have a right," he added.
Hours later, Shukr left the bank and obtained, after negotiating with his management, the entirety of his deposit in Lebanese pounds and three thousand dollars.
He told reporters as he was leaving, "Whoever has a right must take it, even after a while," adding, "It is my trouble and my life. Whoever has a deposit, let him go to the bank in a peaceful way and take it."
Dozens demonstrated on Tuesday in front of the Central Bank in Beirut, to demand the recovery of their money stuck in banks.
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