On the run, Lebanese woman who stole own savings says she’s not the criminal

BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON Sept 21 (Reuters) – On the run from authorities after forcing a financial institution to launch her household financial savings at gunpoint to deal with her cancer-stricken sister, 28-year-old Lebanese inside designer Sali Hafiz insists she shouldn’t be the prison.

“We’re within the nation of mafias. If you’re not a wolf, the wolves will eat you,” she advised Reuters, standing on a mud observe someplace in Lebanon’s rugged japanese Bekaa valley the place she has since been in hiding.

Hafiz held up a Beirut department of BLOM Financial institution final week, taking by power some $13,000 in financial savings in her sister’s account frozen by capital controls that had been imposed in a single day by industrial banks in 2019 however by no means made authorized by way of laws.

Dramatic footage of the incident, during which she cocks what later turned out to be a toy gun and stands atop a desk bossing round staff who hand her wads of money, turned her into an prompt people hero in a rustic the place a whole bunch of hundreds of persons are locked out of their financial savings.

A rising quantity are taking issues into their very own palms, exasperated by a three-year monetary implosion that authorities have left to fester – main the World Financial institution to explain it as “orchestrated by the nation’s elite”.

Hafiz was the primary of at the very least seven savers who held up banks final week, prompting banks to close their doorways citing safety issues, and name for safety help from the federal government.

George Haj of the financial institution staff syndicate mentioned the holdups had been misguiding anger that needs to be directed on the Lebanese state, which was most in charge for the disaster, and famous some 6,000 financial institution staff had misplaced their jobs because it started.

Authorities have condemned the holdups and say they’re getting ready a safety plan for banks.

However depositors argue that financial institution homeowners and shareholders have enriched themselves by getting excessive curiosity funds for lending the federal government depositors’ cash and are prioritising the banks over individuals moderately than enacting an IMF rescue plan.

The federal government says it’s working onerous to implement IMF reforms and goals to safe a $3 billion bailout this 12 months.

‘THEY ARE ALL IN CAHOOTS’

The sequence of raids have been met with widespread help, together with from crowds that collect exterior the banks after they hear a holdup is happening to cheer them on.

“Possibly they noticed me as a hero as a result of I used to be the primary lady who does this in a patriarchal society the place a lady’s voice shouldn’t be imagined to be heard,” Hafiz mentioned, including she had not supposed to hurt anybody however was uninterested in authorities inaction.

“They’re all in cahoots to steal from us and go away us to go hungry and die slowly,” she mentioned.

When her sister started dropping hope she would have the ability to afford pricey remedy to assist regain mobility and speech impaired by mind most cancers, and the financial institution declined to supply the financial savings, Hafiz mentioned she determined to behave.

BLOM Financial institution mentioned in an announcement that the department had been cooperative together with her request for funds however requested for documentation as they do for all clients requesting humanitarian exceptions to the casual controls.

Hafiz then returned two days later with a toy gun she had seen her nephews enjoying with, and a small quantity of gasoline that she combined with water and spilled on to an worker.

Earlier than her raid, she watched fashionable Egyptian black comedy Irhab w Kabab – or “Terrorist and Kabab” – during which a person pissed off with authorities corruption holds up a state constructing and calls for kebabs for the hostages because of the excessive value of meat.

She managed to get $13,000 of a complete $20,000 – sufficient to cowl journey bills for her sister and a few month of remedy – and made certain to signal a receipt in order that she wouldn’t be accused of theft.

To assist her escape, Hafiz posted on Fb that she was already on the airport and on her strategy to Istanbul. She ran dwelling and disguised herself in a gown and scarf and positioned a bundle of garments on her stomach to make herself seem pregnant.

A police officer who knocked on her door “will need to have been scared I might give start in entrance of him. I went downstairs in entrance of all of them, like 60 or 70 individuals… they had been wishing me luck with the start. It was… like the films,” she mentioned, after they did not recognise her.

‘LAW OF THE JUNGLE’

Two of Hafiz’s shut associates together with her on the financial institution maintain up had been detained after the incident over costs of threatening financial institution staff and holding them towards their will, and ordered launched on bail on Wednesday.

Lebanon’s Inside Safety Forces didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the case.

Hafiz mentioned she would hand herself in as soon as judges finish a crippling strike that has slowed authorized procedures and left detainees languishing in jail.

Abdallah Al-Saii, an acquaintance of Hafiz who held up a financial institution in January to get some $50,000 of his personal financial savings, mentioned extra hold-ups had been coming.

“Issues should worsen in order that they will get higher,” Saii mentioned, taking drags from a cigarette at his comfort retailer within the Bekaa.

“When the state cannot do something for you and might’t even present a tiny little bit of hope over what lies in retailer, then we’re dwelling by the legislation of the jungle.”

Reporting by Timour Azhari, Emilie Madi, Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam; Writing by Timour Azhari; Modifying by Samia Nakhoul and Alexandra Hudson

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.