A clarification was issued by the head of the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Justice, Judge Helena Iskander: "On 27/8/2023, it was reported by Al-Arabiya Net that Judge Helena Iskander stated she would issue an arrest warrant against the accused, former Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, among others. Therefore, Judge Iskander wishes to clarify that she is the head of the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Justice and not the head of the Prosecution Authority."
She added, "The right to issue or refrain from issuing an arrest warrant lies solely with the Prosecution Authority, and the role of the Legal Affairs Department is limited to presenting its requests before the authority as a representative of the Lebanese state."
She indicated that "Judge Iskander did not state that the Prosecution Authority is moving to issue an arrest warrant in absentia or in person against the accused Riad Salameh, as she is not aware of the direction of this authority and does not preempt its decisions. Instead, she trusts and respects its decisions, thus necessitating the correction."
