Banks have been on strike since February 7 after meeting to discuss the escalating legal measures they have faced since the economy began to collapse more than three years ago.
The collapse saw severe restrictions on withdrawals and transfers made by depositors, prompting many of them to file lawsuits against banks or threaten violence to get their money back.
The association said that it decided to stop the strike “based on the wish of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati,” so that depositors could obtain banking services.
On Tuesday, Mikati told the Lebanese Al-Jadeed TV that he was in contact with the Association of Banks in Lebanon and expected the strike to end within 48 hours, without giving details.
Mikati and Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi moved on Wednesday to obstruct the work of Judge Ghada Aoun, who has been conducting an investigation into the financial sector since its collapse in 2019.
Mikati addressed a letter to Mawlawi on Wednesday asking the security forces to “take executive measures to stop the abuse of power” by Judge Ghada Aoun, according to Reuters.
Mawlawi issued a directive, seen by Reuters, the same day asking the General Directorate of State Security and Internal Security Forces not to implement any decision issued by Judge Ghada Aoun.
In a tweet, the judge wrote that the actions were “a total breakdown of justice in this poor country.” The measures were described as “an unprecedented interference in the work of the judiciary.”
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