The Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, did not attend a hearing regarding corruption allegations on Wednesday, which was held by a local judge alongside European investigators following objections to the procedures by Salameh's lawyer. Salameh is being investigated in Lebanon and at least five European countries for allegations of embezzling public funds. Charges have been brought against him in Lebanon, where judicial authorities postponed the hearing to Thursday. Salameh denies the accusations, claiming they are part of an attempt to make him a scapegoat due to Lebanon’s financial crisis.
On Wednesday, judicial authorities requested Salameh's detention along with others, with Helena Iskander, the head of the litigation unit at the Ministry of Justice, filing a personal complaint against both Riad Salameh and his brother Roger Tawfiq Salameh, as well as Marianne Majeed El-Houik. The Lebanese Ministry of Justice requested the detention of the mentioned individuals and the seizure of their real estate assets, along with freezing their bank accounts and those of their spouses and minor children to prevent any transactions. It clarified that the aim of these measures is to safeguard Lebanon's rights and to issue an indictment against the accused in preparation for their trial before the criminal court in Beirut. Salameh denies the accusations and states they are part of an attempt to make him a scapegoat due to the financial crisis in Lebanon.
