Lebanon’s embattled Central Bank chief appeared on Thursday for questioning for the first time before a European legal team visiting Beirut in a money-laundering probe linked to the governor.
Several European countries are investigating Riad Salameh, who in recent years has been charged with a handful of corruption-related crimes. Salameh has been Lebanon’s central bank governor since 1993.
The questioning was originally scheduled for Wednesday. Salameh did not show up.
Judicial officials told The Associated Press that Judge Helena Iskandar, who is representing the Lebanese state at the questioning in the European probe, charged Salameh, his brother Raja and associate Marianne Hoayek with corruption and ordered detained after the Central Bank chief did not show up.Their assets were also frozen.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.
In addition to the European probe, there are other legal proceedings against Salameh underway in laundering of USD 330 million .
In late February, Beirut’s public prosecutor, Raja Hamoush, charged the three with corruption, including embezzling public funds, forgery, illicit enrichment, money-laundering and violation of tax laws. The economic meltdown, which began in October 2019 and is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country’s political class, has plunged more than 75 per cent of the tiny nation’s population of 6 million into poverty.
