The Iran-backed Houthi militias stormed and shut the headquarters and 25 branches of the Tadhamon International Islamic Bank (TIIB), one of the largest banks in Yemen and majority owned by the domestic trading group Hayel Saeed Anam.
TIIB clerks and employees said the Houthis plan to loot the bank’s assets and deposits.
The Houthis took over the TIIB’s servers and barred the bank from resuming operations at any of its branches.
TIIBB held the Houthis fully responsible for serious consequences of cessation of its operations.
The move marks a serious precedent in how the Houthis deal with the banking sector in the country, the bank said in a statement.
“It will affect the activities of humanitarian agencies that are partnering with us to deliver aid to the most vulnerable people,” it said, affirming that it always operates in accordance with local and international laws and standards.
Negative impacts of such practices will affect the whole banking system and could lead to the shutdown of all economic activities, the statement warned, criticizing the Houthis for pressuring banks in Sanaa.
The move against TIIB puts 1,520 bank employees out of work and freezes activities of some 30 local companies partnered with the bank, employees told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The militias claimed they shutdown TIIB because it was dealing with the Aden-based Central Bank of Yemen.
The TIIB released a statement detailing how Houthi intelligence officers stormed its headquarters in Sanaa on Wednesday morning, forced workers to evacuate the premise and ordered the management to shut down its main servers.
Houthi militants also confiscated CCTV footage that documented their break in.
The TIIB management, according to the statement, opened communication channels with Houthi leaders in order to investigate the incident and understand the motives behind its forced closure. It is also negotiating the prospects of reopening the bank.
More so, TIIB held the Houthi-controlled central bank in Sanaa responsible for its closure.
