Lebanese lawmaker demands frozen assets in bank deposit

BEIRUT

A Lebanese lawmaker on Wednesday entered a private bank in the capital Beirut to demand a portion of her deposit, according to local media.

Bank officials, however, denied the demands of Cynthia Zarazir to withdraw $8,500 of her funds that she said she needed for surgery, reported the Al Jadeed TV channel.

As Zarazir continued to negotiate with bank officials, many others whose accounts had similarly been frozen gathered in front of the branch in support of the member of parliament representing Beirut.

At least eight attempts -- including some armed -- at storming banks were reported in Lebanon last month during which depositors managed to recover some of their frozen funds.

The incidents have pushed banks to close their doors for several days to protest the holdups.

Lebanon has been grappling with a severe economic crisis since 2019, leaving most people locked out of their bank accounts due to informal capital controls imposed by lenders.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report