• A woman identified by Lebanese media as Sally Hafez, second left, wearing green shoes, inside a branch of Blom Bank in central Beirut. Reports say she and others stormed the branch to demand access to their deposits. AFP
    A woman identified by Lebanese media as Sally Hafez, second left, wearing green shoes, inside a branch of Blom Bank in central Beirut. Reports say she and others stormed the branch to demand access to their deposits. AFP
  • A group of depositors, at least one of whom was armed, took hostages at Blom Bank in central Beirut on Wednesday demanding access to their savings, state media reported. AFP
    A group of depositors, at least one of whom was armed, took hostages at Blom Bank in central Beirut on Wednesday demanding access to their savings, state media reported. AFP
  • A security source said a group of depositors, at least one of whom was armed, took hostages. Reuters
    A security source said a group of depositors, at least one of whom was armed, took hostages. Reuters
  • A woman is comforted after a group of depositors stormed Blom Bank in the Lebanese capital. Reuters
    A woman is comforted after a group of depositors stormed Blom Bank in the Lebanese capital. Reuters
  • Lebanese policemen at the scene. AP
    Lebanese policemen at the scene. AP
  • Members of the Lebanese security forces stand next to a toy gun that was used by depositors to take hostages. EPA
    Members of the Lebanese security forces stand next to a toy gun that was used by depositors to take hostages. EPA
  • Angry depositors also poured diesel on a Blom Bank ATM. AP
    Angry depositors also poured diesel on a Blom Bank ATM. AP

'I am not the criminal' says Lebanese woman on the run after holding up Beirut bank


  • English
  • Arabic

A Lebanese interior designer who held up a Beirut bank at gunpoint to access her family savings insists she is not the criminal.

Sali Hafez, 28, is on the run from authorities after carrying out the heist to be able to help pay for her sister's cancer care.

"We are in the country of mafias. If you are not a wolf, the wolves will eat you," she told Reuters from Lebanon's rugged eastern Bekaa Valley, where she has been in hiding.

Ms Hafez held up a Beirut branch of Blom Bank last week, taking by force about $13,000 in savings in her sister's account frozen by capital controls that were imposed overnight by commercial banks in 2019 but never made legal via legislation.

Dramatic footage of the incident shows her holding what later turned out to be a toy gun and standing on top of a desk, bossing around employees who hand her cash.

It turned her into an instant folk hero in a country where hundreds of thousands of people are denied access to their savings.

A growing number are taking matters into their own hands, exasperated by a three-year financial implosion that authorities have left to fester and which the World Bank described as "orchestrated by the country's elite".

Ms Hafez was the first of at least seven savers who held up banks last week, prompting banks to shut their doors citing security concerns, and call for security support from the government.

Sali Hafez, a young Lebanese activist, on September 14 held up a Beirut bank with a toy gun and walked out with thousands of dollars to pay for treatment for her ill sister. AFP
Sali Hafez, a young Lebanese activist, on September 14 held up a Beirut bank with a toy gun and walked out with thousands of dollars to pay for treatment for her ill sister. AFP

George Haj, of the bank employees' syndicate, said anger should be directed at the Lebanese state, which was most to blame for the crisis.

He said 6,000 bank employees had lost their jobs since the crisis began.

Authorities condemned the hold-ups and say they are preparing a security plan for banks.

But depositors argue that bank owners and shareholders have enriched themselves by getting high interest payments for lending the government depositors' money and are prioritising the banks over people rather than enacting an IMF rescue plan.

The government says it is working hard to implement IMF reforms and aims to secure a $3 billion bail-out this year.

The series of raids have been met with widespread support, including from crowds that gather outside the banks when they hear a hold-up is taking place to cheer them on.

"Maybe they saw me as a hero because I was the first woman who does this in a patriarchal society where a woman's voice is not supposed to be heard," Ms Hafez said.

"They are all in cahoots to steal from us and leave us to go hungry and die slowly."

When her sister began losing hope that she would be able to afford costly treatment to help regain mobility and speech impaired by brain cancer, and the bank declining to provide the savings, Ms Hafez said she decided to act.

Blom Bank said in a statement that the branch had been co-operative with her request for funds but asked for documentation, as they do for all customers requesting humanitarian exceptions to the informal controls.

Ms Hafez then returned two days later with a toy gun she had seen her nephews playing with and a small amount of fuel that she mixed with water and spilt on to an employee.

Before her raid, she watched popular Egyptian black comedy Irhab wal Kabab — meaning Terrorist and Kabab — in which a man frustrated with government corruption holds up a state building and demands kebabs for the hostages because of the high price of meat.

Ms Hafez managed to get $13,000 from a total sum of $20,000 — enough to cover travel expenses for her sister and about a month of treatment — and made sure to sign a receipt so that she would not be accused of theft.

Sali Hafiz in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on September 20. Reuters
Sali Hafiz in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on September 20. Reuters

To aid her escape, Ms Hafez posted on Facebook that she was already at the airport and on her way to Istanbul. She ran home and disguised herself in a robe and headscarf and placed a bundle of clothes on her belly to make herself appear pregnant.

A police officer who knocked on her door "must have been scared I would give birth in front of him. I went downstairs in front of them all, like 60 or 70 people ... they were wishing me luck with the birth. It was ... like the movies," she said, after they failed to recognise her.

Two of Ms Hafez's close friends with her at the bank hold-up were detained after the incident over charges of threatening bank employees and holding them against their will, and released on bail on Wednesday.

Lebanon's Internal Security Forces did not respond to a request for comment on the case.

Ms Hafez said she would hand herself in once judges end a crippling strike that has slowed legal procedures and left detainees languishing in jail.

Abdallah Al Saii, an acquaintance of Ms Hafez who held up a bank in January to access $50,000 of his own savings, said more hold-ups were coming.

"Things will have to get worse so that they can get better," Mr Saii said.

"When the state can't do anything for you and can't even provide a tiny bit of hope over what lies in store, then we're living by the law of the jungle."

Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place

192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

Reading List

Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung

How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever

Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays

How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

MATCH INFO

World Cup qualifier

Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')

UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')

Dunki
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rajkumar%20Hirani%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Taapsee%20Pannu%2C%20Vikram%20Kochhar%20and%20Anil%20Grover%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme

Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.

The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

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SUE%20GRAY'S%20FINDINGS
%3Cp%3E%22Whatever%20the%20initial%20intent%2C%20what%20took%20place%20at%20many%20of%20these%20gatherings%20and%20the%3Cbr%3Eway%20in%20which%20they%20developed%20was%20not%20in%20line%20with%20Covid%20guidance%20at%20the%20time.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22Many%20of%20these%20events%20should%20not%20have%20been%20allowed%20to%20happen.%20It%20is%20also%20the%20case%20that%20some%20of%20the%3Cbr%3Emore%20junior%20civil%20servants%20believed%20that%20their%20involvement%20in%20some%20of%20these%20events%20was%20permitted%20given%20the%20attendance%20of%20senior%20leaders.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22The%20senior%20leadership%20at%20the%20centre%2C%20both%20political%20and%20official%2C%20must%20bear%20responsibility%20for%20this%20culture.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20found%20that%20some%20staff%20had%20witnessed%20or%20been%20subjected%20to%20behaviours%20at%20work%20which%20they%20had%20felt%20concerned%20about%20but%20at%20times%20felt%20unable%20to%20raise%20properly.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20was%20made%20aware%20of%20multiple%20examples%20of%20a%20lack%20of%20respect%20and%20poor%20treatment%20of%20security%20and%20cleaning%20staff.%20This%20was%20unacceptable.%22%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: September 21, 2022, 1:50 PM