Lebanon freezes accounts of US-sanctioned individuals
28 January 2023
AFP :
Lebanon's central bank said Thursday it has frozen the accounts of a foreign exchange trader and his sons, after the US sanctioned them this week over links to Hezbollah.
The central bank "took a decision to freeze all the accounts" of Hassan Moukalled as well as those of his sons Rayyan and Rani and two businesses that he owns, it said in a statement.
The US Treasury had issued the sanctions on Tuesday, calling Moukalled "a corrupt money exchanger whose financial engineering actively enables" Hezbollah and its interests.
Moukalled, who presents himself as a finance expert, often appears on Lebanese television.
The US Treasury said he serves as a financial adviser to Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite movement that is backed by Iran.
It said he works "in close coordination with senior Hezbollah financial officials to help Hezbollah establish a presence in Lebanon's financial system" and that he has carried out business deals on behalf of the group throughout the region.
Moukalled has previously acknowledged having acted as an intermediary in indirect negotiations between the central bank and Hezbollah, after authorities launched a crackdown on hundreds of bank accounts linked with the group in 2016.
