Patton Boggs has inked a $50K monthly retainer pact to promote the image of Lebanon’s banking system, which faces U.S. pressure due to alleged ties with terror groups and the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The move follows the U.S. Treasury Dept.’s February designation of Lebanese Canadian Bank as a “primary money laundering concern,” charged with channeling funds to Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s press reports that Neal Steven Wolin, Treasury’s deputy secretary; Dan Glaser, assistant secretary for terrorist financing, and David Cohen, under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence are frequent visitors to Beirut.

PB’s one-year pact is with Banque du Liban, the country’s central bank. The goal is the “promotion of the image of Lebanese banking before the U.S. Congress and Administration.”

The firm will determine its fee based on the standard billing rate of the Lebanon lobbing team. That unit is led by Tommy Boggs, who bills at the $990 hourly rate.

He’s assisted by Larry Harris (who was MCI Communications’ liaison to ATT/Federal Communications Commission and leader of its landmark antitrust fight bills at $960 an hour), Caffey Norman ($750 per-hour for the veteran of the BCCI scandal) and Graham Wisner $660 hour for corporate lobbying veteran of the U.S./India nuke pact).

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