Europeans to return to Lebanon in late April to continue Salameh probe
A European judicial delegation will return to Lebanon in late April, specifically after April 22, to continue its investigations in the embezzlement and money laundering case against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, an NGO said.
The NGO – the European Observatory for the Integrity of Lebanon – also called on the Lebanese judiciary to act and follow up on the work of the European judiciary, hoping the Lebanese arena “will witness measures such as those that are being taken by the Europeans.”
Salameh had stressed his innocence on March 17, following a second and final day of questioning in Beirut before the European.
Salameh, 72, faces allegations of financial crimes including embezzlement in separate probes in Lebanon and abroad, with investigators examining the fortune he has amassed during three decades in the job.
Following a three-hour session on March 17, Salameh released a statement saying he appeared as a witness and "not as a suspect or facing charges."
"Funds from the Lebanese central bank were not transferred to my account," he said in a statement, adding: "The transfers I made abroad, whatever the amount, were from my personal account."
The European investigators, including representatives of authorities in France, Germany and Luxembourg, are looking into allegations of financial misconduct, including possible money laundering and embezzlement.
Salameh "answered all the questions" and "pledged to provide all the documents tracing the sources of his wealth" as well as the addresses of people mentioned in the questioning sessions, a judicial official told AFP.
When they return, the European investigators also plan to question Salameh's brother Raja and former assistant Marianne Hoayek.
Salameh has decried "ill intentions" against him and blamed an "ongoing media campaign" for his legal woes.
France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in March 2022 in a move linked to a French probe into Salameh's personal wealth.
In February, Lebanese authorities charged Salameh with embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion as part of their own investigation.
The domestic probe was opened following a request for assistance from Switzerland's public prosecutor looking into more than $300 million in fund movements by the Salameh brothers.
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