Lebanon: Sali Hafiz let go with fine after bank ‘break-in’

A Lebanese lady who robbed a bank with a phony weapon to ‘steal’ her own cash has actually been let go with a fine.

Sali Hafiz stormed a branch in Beirut to require her own cost savings in order to spend for her sis’s cancer treatment.

The 28- year-old rapidly ended up being a folk hero throughout 3 weeks on the pursue video footage of the September 14 occurrence flowed online.

She handled to recover almost $12,000 from her account by threatening staff members with a handgun which ended up being a reproduction.

It influenced numerous copycat break-ins and took advantage of popular anger at the nation’s financial decrease, which has actually seen 95% knocked off the worth of the currency.

Strict capital manages enforced by the nation’s having a hard time banks because 2019 suggest individuals are not permitted to withdraw foreign currencies.

It implies that individuals can just access their funds if they transform it to the Lebanese pound however its weak point suggest that sustains substantial monetary losses, successfully trapping money in checking account.

Ms Hafiz handed herself in and was apprehended prior to being launched today to cheers.

She was bought to pay a fine of one million Lebanese pounds, around ₤600, and released with a six-month travel restriction.

Ms Hafiz raised a fist for the waiting video cameras as she left court and stated she was heading to the bank to officially verify just how much she took.

But in an alerting to the business’s management, she stated: ‘How about you give me the rest of my money while things are calm, so we don’ t need to go through that once again?’

More than a lots depositors have actually held up banks to access their own cost savings in the previous month alone.

Lenders were required to stop talking store completely for a week last month after a wave of hold-ups and have actually because resumed with increased security.