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Sunday, May 29, 2016
Lebanese Hezbollah Ministers Get Paid in Cash, Dodging U.S. sanctions

So-Called Hezbollah Ministers Get Paid in Cash, Dodging HIFPA
Paula Astih Asharq Al Awsat 289 May 2016
http://english.aawsat.com/2016/05/article55351586/called-hezbollah-ministers-get-paid-cash-dodging-hifpa

Beirut- The Lebanon treasury started paying the salaries of Ministers
belonging to the so-called Hezbollah party in cash two months ago. The pays
were given in cash as to escape the U.S. sanctions put into effect, Lebanese
sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Effective U.N. sanctions led to the freezing of several bank Hezbollah
affiliate accounts belonging to ministers, lawmakers and anyone who is in
direct contact with, or close to the organization.

Parliamentary also sources reiterated, confirming, that the so-called
Hezbollah ministers and lawmakers had been receiving their monthly checks in
cash.

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser
visited Lebanon on May 26-27 to discuss combating illicit finance.

During the visit, Assistant Secretary Glaser met with President of the
Chamber of Deputies Nabih Berri, President of the Council of Ministers Tamam
Salam, Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, former Prime Minister, MP Saad
Hariri, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, Special Investigation Commission
(SIC) Secretary Abdel Hafiz Mansour, the Association of Banks of Lebanon
(ABL), and security officials.

In his meetings, Assistant Secretary Glaser encouraged Lebanese authorities
and financial institutions to continue their efforts to combat the threat of
illicit finance and prevent attempts to evade U.S. and international
financial sanctions.

On the subject of the recently implemented Hezbollah International Financing
Prevention Act (HIFPA), A/S Glaser explained that the law does not target
Lebanon, nor does it target the Shi’ite community.

HIFPA strictly targets Hezballah’s financial activities worldwide, and will
be implemented worldwide, according to media notice released by the U.S.
embassy in Beirut.

Assistant Secretary Glaser also discussed joint American-Lebanese efforts to
combat ISIS’s financial networks. He reiterated the U.S. commitment to work
with Lebanon to protect and promote Lebanon’s financial system.

On the other hand, resentment grew among the so-called Hezbollah community
after finding itself financially cornered, even if the prevention act did
not affect them directly.

Sources highlight that Shi’ite commercial traders have begun suffering bank
obduracy when attending their finances.

Businessmen residing in Beirut suburbs, locally known as the southern
Dahyeh-also notorious for being a stronghold for the so-called Hezbollah
group- are being treated with extensive bank red tape and service
harassment, in addition to being subjected to long marathon-like
interrogations when receiving foreign transactions.

A number of foreign transactions are not being allowed to directly deposit
into the traders’ bank accounts, rather are being suspended until further
notice or till the transactions receives bank approval.

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