Lebanon’s financial prosecutor has ordered individuals and entities, including bankers, to return to the country amounts equal to the sums they transferred abroad during the country's banking and financial meltdown, in the same currency, within two months.

The decision, issued by Financial Prosecutor Judge Maher Cheaito, aims to channel the funds back into Lebanon’s crippled banking sector.

According to the order, the deposits must be made in Lebanese banks under the supervision of the Financial Public Prosecution and in line with conditions it sets.

Lebanon’s financial collapse, which began in late 2019, locked depositors out of their dollar savings and triggered one of the worst economic crises in modern history. Billions of dollars were transferred abroad during the early months of the crisis, sparking public outrage and allegations of insider privilege for politically connected account holders.