Luke BEIRUT, Sep 9 – A judge ordered former Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh to remain in custody as part of an investigation into financial crimes allegedly committed during his tenure, including embezzlement, three judicial sources said.
The verdict came after investigating judge Bilal Halawi questioned Salameh for the first time since he was detained last week on suspicion of corruption, fraud and illicit enrichment.
Haraway is scheduled to have another hearing on Thursday, a source said.
Salameh’s media office said he would not comment publicly on the case in compliance with the law. The statement said he had cooperated with more than 20 criminal investigations in Beirut and Mount Lebanon in the past and continued to cooperate with investigations after his detention.
Salameh has denied past corruption allegations.
If the prosecution goes ahead, it would be a rare case of a serving or retired senior Lebanese official facing accountability in a country that critics say has a long history of protecting its elite.
A group of protesters chanting “Thieves!” thought a convoy was carrying Salame and entered the Justice Ministry building. Some of them hit a car with their hands.
Salameh was long hailed as Lebanon’s financial wizard, but by the time he left office, his reputation was tarnished by corruption allegations at home and abroad and the catastrophic collapse of Lebanon’s financial system in 2019.
Mega
Judicial sources told Askume last week that Salameh is suspected of financial misconduct involving more than $110 million in commissions in a scheme linked to Optimum Invest, a Lebanese company that provides income brokerage services.
Judicial sources said investigators had targeted more than $40 million in suspicious transactions linked to the scheme, which were transferred from an account at the central bank to accounts linked to Salameh.
Optimum Invest said it is assisting judicial authorities in their investigation and providing them with all requested information and that its transactions with the central bank are fully compliant with the law.
Lebanese authorities have not yet made the charges public.
The charges against Salameh last week are separate from previous financial crime allegations relating to Faury Associates, a company controlled by his brother Raja. The brothers, who deny any wrongdoing, are accused of using Faury to embezzle $330 million in public money through commissions.
Several European countries, including France and Germany, are investigating whether hundreds of millions of dollars allegedly embezzled from central banks were laundered in Europe.
French and German authorities issued arrest warrants for him last year. The Munich prosecutor’s office said in June that German authorities had annulled the arrest warrant on technical grounds but continued the investigation and seizure of Salame’s assets.
