BEIRUT: The Association of Banks in Lebanon said Thursday it donated $32 million to the Higher Relief Committee to cover the HCR’s recent payment for Lebanon’s share toward the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The ABL board “unanimously decided to cover the amount paid by the Higher Relief Committee, which is over $32 million, to pay Lebanon’s dues toward the international tribunal,” the association said following its monthly meeting held Thursday.

It said the donation was designed to “protect depositors and strengthen internal political stability.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri responded to the news with a tweet saying “as long as the tribunal is getting paid I am happy,” after he was asked about the development, also via Twitter. Responding to the same questioner, he added that any funds directed to the HRC were intended for the government, meaning that Hezbollah had in effect financed the STL.

The STL is investigating the 2005 assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It has indicted four Hezbollah members in the killing, and the party has refused to recognize the court.

For his part, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who last month announced that Beirut would pay its 2011 dues to the STL via the HRC, had no comment on the news, when contacted by The Daily Star.

“Lebanon has paid its contribution to the STL for 2011,” an STL spokesperson said. “The mechanism with which Lebanon fulfilled its international obligation is an internal Lebanese matter.”

A source from ABL told The Daily Star that it wasn’t the first time the association provided financial aid to the HRC.

“We granted financial assistance to the committee in the aftermath of the 2006 war on Lebanon to help the government in the reconstruction efforts,” the source said.

He added that ABL supports all U.N. Security Council resolutions, and for this reason the money was donated by the association.

“We contemplated this action about two weeks ago and this was not on the spur of the moment. ABL’s board of directors made the contributions from its own pocket,” the source said.

The head of the ABL, Joseph Torbey, told a local television station that the donation announced Thursday was a “one-time” move.