Justice Minister on Appointing Lawyers Representing Lebanon in Salama Case: I Will Not Back Down

The Minister of Justice in the Lebanese caretaker government, Henry Khoury, confirmed regarding the appointment of lawyers representing the Lebanese state in the lawsuit against the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, that "we have proceeded with the contracts which are still in effect, and I am committed to them, and I will not back down. Any absence of the Lebanese state would hold it responsible." He revealed in a press conference at his office in the ministry that "there is a deliberate distortion of the resumes of the lawyers, and the aim is to delay the handling of the cases presented before the French courts." Khoury explained that the claim about insufficient information regarding the lawyers representing Lebanon is "not correct, as we sent the information to the Prime Minister's office. Lawyer Emmanuel Daoud is not Jewish; he is a Catholic of Algerian father and French mother. He has previously handled a case against Israel on behalf of Palestinian activist Salah Hamouri, and he has previously filed a lawsuit against the CIA regarding the bombing of Iraq." He confirmed his readiness "to provide information about the resumes of lawyers Emmanuel Daoud and Pascal Bouvier." In a related context, Khoury met in his office with the German ambassador Andreas Kindl, who informed him about the issuance of a red notice against Riad Salameh and his associates by the German judiciary, and then discussed the issue of Lebanon's representation in the German courts in this case.