The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the former governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, was arrested after being investigated at the Palace of Justice in the Optimum Company case.
According to the agency, “the investigation dealt with the company’s file and the contracts concluded between the Central Bank of Lebanon and it, related to the purchase and sale of treasury bonds and certificates of deposit in lira, in addition to the company receiving huge commissions.”
Caretaker Minister of Justice, Judge Henri Khoury, said after the arrest of former Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh: “The judiciary has had its say…and we respect the judiciary’s decision.”
Public Prosecutor Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar said: “The judicial step taken against Salama is precautionary detention, the effects of which are four days, after which he will be referred by the Beirut Court of Appeal to the investigating judge, who will interrogate him and take the appropriate judicial decision regarding him.”
Salama arrived at the Palace of Justice this afternoon to be heard by Judge Al-Hajjar. This is the first time he has appeared before the judiciary since the end of his term.
The arrest of Salameh, 73, comes 30 years after he assumed the position of Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, where he held the position until July 2023.
Salameh and his brother Raja are being investigated in Lebanon and at least five European countries on charges of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from the Lebanese central bank and laundering money abroad, which the brothers deny. Salameh also faces an arrest warrant in France as part of an investigation into the embezzlement of public funds, in addition to a red notice from Interpol for his arrest.
“German authorities issued an arrest warrant for Salameh on corruption charges, but it was cancelled for technical reasons, but investigations are ongoing and his assets remain frozen,” the Munich prosecutor’s office told Reuters in June.
Riad Salameh is one of the world’s longest-serving central bank governors, and many Lebanese hold him responsible for the financial collapse that began in 2019, while Salameh says he is a scapegoat for the collapse, which followed decades of corrupt and wasteful spending practices by the ruling elite.
Last updated: September 4, 2024 – 13:34
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2024-09-05 07:17:21