Governor of the Banque du Liban Riad Salameh (archive from France Press)
like Ruler of consumption in Lebanon Riad Salameh Al-Khamis for the first time in front of European investigators, as part of investigations centered on his wealth and suspicions of money laundering, according to a judicial source told Agence France-Presse.
It is noteworthy that there is a set of judicial investigations targeting the governor of the Lebanese Central Bank, whether in Lebanon or abroad, centering on suspicions of money laundering and “illegal enrichment”.
more than 5 hours
The source revealed that Salama answered before the first investigating judge in Beirut, Charbel Abu Samra, “to 100 questions that were asked to him and provided an extensive explanation” and “refuted all suspicions accusing him of money laundering,” pointing out that the interrogation session lasted more than 5 hours.
He also added that Salama will appear at ten o’clock on Friday morning to complete the investigation with him, noting that the European delegation intends to “ask 100 additional questions”, thus ending its mission with regard to Salama personally.
The vicinity of the Palace of Justice in Beirut witnessed a heavy security presence upon the arrival of Salameh and his defense agents on Thursday morning.
Forrey Associates Inc.
It is reported that investigators from France, Germany and Luxembourg are looking into money laundering and embezzlement cases in Lebanon linked to Salameh. In January, in Beirut, they heard witnesses, including bank managers and current and former employees of the Banque du Liban.
The European investigations focus on the relationship between the Banque du Liban and the “Fore Associates” company, which is registered in the Virgin Islands and has an office in Beirut, and its economic beneficiary is Raja Salameh, brother of Ruler of consumption in Lebanon. It is believed that the company played the role of intermediary to purchase treasury bonds and Eurobonds from the Central Bank of Lebanon by receiving a subscription commission, which was transferred to Salameh’s accounts abroad.
More than 330 million dollars
While the European Judicial Cooperation Unit “Eurojust” announced a year ago that France, Germany and Luxembourg had frozen 120 million euros of Lebanese assets following an investigation targeting Salameh and 4 of his close associates, including his brother, on charges of money laundering and “embezzlement of public funds in Lebanon worth more than 330 Euros.” million dollars and 5 million euros, respectively, between 2002 and 2021.
And on Thursday, the judicial source suggested that “the European investigators will leave Beirut on Saturday morning, provided that they return at a later date to listen to the ruler’s brother, Raja Salameh, and his assistant, Marianne Howayek.”
focus of a local investigation
It is noteworthy that Salameh was absent from a session that was scheduled for Wednesday, on the pretext that he did not obtain an answer about a memorandum he submitted, in which he considered that “the presence of international judges in Lebanon and the investigation of financial files with him contradicts national sovereignty.” However, the Lebanese judiciary rejected the content of the memorandum and set a date for his interrogation, Thursday.
The wealth of Salameh, one of the longest-serving central bank governors in the world who has been considered the architect of Lebanon’s financial policies since taking office in 1993, has been the focus of a local investigation in Lebanon since April 2021.
personal claim
And after the prosecution in February against Salama, his brother, and his assistant, Marianne Howayek, the Lebanese state, represented by the head of the Cases Authority in the Ministry of Justice, Judge Helena Iskandar, filed a personal claim against them for “crimes of bribery, forgery, use of counterfeiters, money laundering, illegal enrichment, and tax evasion.”
The judge also requested that several measures be taken against the defendants, including “arresting them, seizing their real estate properties, and freezing their bank accounts,” in addition to “freezing the accounts of their spouses and minor children with Lebanese and foreign banks,” and preventing them from disposing of their real estate.
While Salama denies the accusations against him, considering that his prosecution comes in the context of a political process to “tarnish” his image. And he confirms that he accumulated his wealth from his previous work for two decades in the global financial institution “Merrill Lynch” and from investments in several fields, apart from his work at the head of the governorship of the Banque du Liban.