Riad Salamé in the Spotlight Again: Investigation in Germany and Property Seizures

The Munich Public Prosecutor's Office announced today, Tuesday, that prosecutors have confirmed for the first time ongoing money-laundering investigations against former Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salamé. Prosecutors stated that they are investigating Salamé, who held the position from 1993 to 2023, along with his brother Raja and other suspects on charges including forgery, money laundering, and embezzlement. The Salamé brothers deny these accusations. A source told Reuters last year that Germany issued an arrest warrant against Salamé on corruption-related charges. Salamé (72 years old) is being investigated in Lebanon and at least five European countries on allegations of obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars from the Central Bank of Lebanon, which harmed the state, as well as being involved in laundering that money abroad. The Munich Public Prosecutor's Office stated that part of the money was transferred to Europe through a mailbox company in the British Virgin Islands and was invested in real estate in countries including Germany. The office added that authorities seized three commercial properties in Munich and Hamburg, valued at a total of nearly 28 million euros, as part of an operation in cooperation with partners from France and Luxembourg. Authorities also took control of shares in a Düsseldorf-based real estate company worth around seven million euros.