In a significant European legal development, former Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salame, won the lawsuit he filed against the Public Prosecutor in Munich before the German judiciary. This was related to her issuance of an arrest warrant against him and disseminating it through Interpol. On June 10, 2024, the Seventh Chamber of the Regional Court in Munich issued its decision in the case Salame brought against the arrest warrant issued in Germany on May 15, 2023, rescinding the arrest warrant and imposing the costs of the case on the treasury of the state of Munich. The German judiciary will correspond with Interpol to cancel the notice for the arrest warrant that was issued a year ago.
Legal sources confirm that "the decision constitutes a European judicial victory for Riad Salame, but more importantly, this decision will lead to a reevaluation of many judicial procedures in several European countries, such as Germany, France, Luxembourg, and others, where laws and procedures have been violated in the pursuit of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon. In France, for instance, despite the earlier issuance of an arrest warrant against Salame, no charges have been filed against him to this day, which also constitutes a major violation."
The legal sources expressed surprise that "the new German decision was overlooked by those celebrating the previous decision, suggesting that all the concern was in advancing political agendas and private financial interests rather than in revealing the truth and adhering to judicial and legal procedures."
