Blom Bank branch in Saida, South Lebanon, where a customer threatened to set himself on fire demanding he is given his trapped savings on Oct. 24, 2022. (Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah)
BEIRUT — An unarmed Blom Bank depositor in Saida, South Lebanon, who threatened to set himself alight, on Monday successfully retrieved more of his blocked savings from the bank than he was demanding to finance a surgery for his two-month-old son, but far less than the sum of his deposits at the institution.
The bank gave the man, who is a cab driver and who was demanding $5,000, LL280 million, about $7,567 dollars at the parallel market rate on Monday afternoon. He then left the bank's premises after holding several customers hostage without being arrested, despite the presence of law enforcement at the scene, L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent in the area reported.
Customers who were held hostage in Blom Bank in Saida, South Lebanon, leave the premises on Oct. 24, 2022. (Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah)
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, a bank spokesperson could not immediately confirm the holdup, while a spokesman for the Internal Security Forces could not be reached.
The depositor's father explains
In a video provided by our correspondent, a man identifying himself as the depositor's father explains that his "two-month-old grandson needs a heart surgery," noting that the cost of the surgery is $5,000. "We have five accounts in the bank, and don't want all our money, but just enough to cover the cost of the surgery," he added. He also said that the branch manager, with whom his son was in negotiations last week and to whom he gave reports attesting to the urgency of the operation, refused to receive them this morning, after telling them they could visit the bank on Monday.
A member of the Cry of the Depositors association, Rami Ghandour, was present at the scene and showed his support to the depositor, regretting the fact that "the state has not yet taken action regarding the money blocked in the banking institutions," according to the state-run National News Agency.
Actions against banks, sometimes carried out at gunpoint, have recently multiplied in Lebanon, as depositors are unable to withdraw their own funds, which have been subject to ad hoc capital controls since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2019. Banks, unable to ensure the safety of their staff and customers, have closed their doors repeatedly in recent months.
Additional reporting by Muntasser Abdallah