On day 75, protesters mobilize against the banks
- Protesters gathered by the Central Bank to reject its illegal capital controls harming small depositors. Protesters marched to Solidere’s Beirut Souks, passing by the Association of Banks and Nejmeh Square, chanting against the “rule of banks.”
- Earlier, protesters organized a sit—in at Bank Audi’s Sofil branch to withdraw money from their accounts. The branch manager shut down the branch temporarily, locking the protesters inside. A similar protest was staged in BBAC’S Furn el-Chebbak branch.
- In Aley, dozens marched under the rain, chanting they would not pay taxes to the state. In Saida, protesters staged sit-ins at branches of Credit Libanais and Bank Audi.
Activist still under investigation over social media post
- Activist Rabih El-Amine was called in for questioning at the Anti—Cybercrime Bureau in Beirut on Monday morning over a post he wrote about Mawared Bank CEO Marwan Kheireddine.
- The post, which was published on Facebook, denounced Kheireddine’s statement dissuading Mawared Bank clients from withdrawing cash from their accounts. El-Amine was released in the afternoon and was given a 24-hour notice to remove the post.
- After editing the post to remove the insults, however, El-Amine was called again to appear before the Anti-Cybercrime Bureau.
ZR Energy wins bid on fuel oil import
- ZR Energy, the same company which won the recent tender to import gasoline by the Ministry of Energy and Water, was selected to lead the import of fuel oil (mazut). The company will be responsible for importing 180,000 tons of fuel, making it accountable for 70% of Lebanon’s oil needs.
- Owned by Teddy and Raymond Zina Rahmeh, ZR Energy has continued to win most of the tender bids under Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leadership. A number of institutions including hospitals, bakeries, the army, and the Zahle Electricity Company rely on fuel oil.
New BDL rule regarding online transfers
- The Central Bank released a circular Monday instructing non-banking financial institutions handling money transfers to pay customers with the same currency received from abroad. This means that wires made with foreign currencies will no longer be paid in Lebanese pound. This decision will go into effect on January 8, 2020.
REPOSTED FROM @Megaphonenews