The Fransabank branch in the Musharrafieh district, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, pictured on Jan. 11, 2024. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT— A man claiming to be the son of an account holder at a Fransabank branch in the southern suburbs of Beirut, threatened to set himself on fire on Thursday, demanding the release of his father's deposits before eventually agreeing to leave the premises peacefully.
The incident occurred in the Musharrafieh neighborhood, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA) and a statement released by Fransabank. Earlier that day, depositor Hawlo Zeaiter reportedly visited the branch with his wife and son, Ali Zeaiter, having scheduled an appointment.
Fransabank has stated that its client, Hawlo Zeaiter, had full and unerring access to all mechanisms put in place by Banque du Liban (BDL) to deal with restrictions imposed by Lebanese banks on foreign currency deposits since the onset of the country's socioeconomic crisis in 2019. This includes the directives of "Circular No. 158" which allows withdrawals in US dollars.
According to Fransabank's statement, Hawlo's son Ali Zeaiter entered the branch, exhibiting behavior described as "unjustified and unexpected," taking employees and customers by surprise. The statement did not detail the exact nature of his actions, but said that eventually the Zeaiter family left the premises "calmly and of their own free will."
However, it's possible the statement omitted some information, seeing as NNA reported that the man doused himself with gasoline and threatened to ignite it before ultimately "leaving the place" without achieving his goal, as security forces were called to the scene. A Fransabank source insisted that there was "no confrontation, intervention, or negotiation involving the security forces."
Since the economic crisis began in 2019, Lebanese banks have been imposing unlawful restrictions on withdrawals. There have been several incidents of bank holdups by depositors throughout Lebanon. Last November, a man armed with a gun stormed a Fransabank branch in Zgharta, in northern Lebanon, in a failed attempt to reclaim his deposits.