BDL employees' union announces three-day strike

BEIRUT — The union of Banque du Liban employees announced Tuesday a three-day strike starting Wednesday following a move by Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun who entered BDL’s headquarters in Hamra on Tuesday morning along with members of State Security, according to a statement by the union.

Here’s what we know:

    • Local media reported Tuesday that a decision was issued by Judge Raja Hamoush to prevent State Security from entering BDL’s premises, but Aoun reportedly entered the premises regardless. Aoun’s raid into BDL caused a commotion in which a crowd gathered in front of the central bank headquarters.

    • “The dignity of the institution and its employees comes first. We refuse to be dealt with by militia methods and we announce a strike,” Abbas Awada, president of the union of BDL’s employees, told local media reporters, a few minutes after Aoun left BDL’s premises. “We do not defend Riad Salameh but the institution, and we do not accept these methods,” he added.

    • Aoun issued a subpoena against Salameh, BDL’s governor, in February after he failed to show up for questioning as part of an investigation she was leading into alleged misconduct and corruption.

    • State Security forces raided Salameh’s house in Rabieh earlier Monday and failed to find the BDL governor, who along with his brother Raja Salameh are part of a judicial investigation into Forry Associates Ltd, Riad being an economic beneficiary of the company, in which they are accused of embezzlement, fraud, money laundering, illicit enrichment and tax evasion.

    • BDL’s employees observed a one-day “warning” strike late June to protest against “the legal proceedings and accusations” that target the central bank and its staff.