Salameh hospitalized under police guard, considered 'in custody'
Former central bank governor Riad Salameh was placed under police guard in hospital on Friday, a day after missing a hearing in an alleged embezzlement case, a judicial official told AFP.
Salameh had been due to appear in court on Thursday in connection with a complaint filed by new central bank governor Karim Soueid accusing him of embezzlement, illicit enrichment and money laundering.
When he failed to appear, a judge directed authorities to escort him to court. Instead Salameh decided to go voluntarily but fell ill en route, and the judiciary postponed the hearing, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, later on Thursday, when Salameh was not found at the hospital emergency department or at addresses registered for him, the judge issued another order for security forces to find him and bring him in for questioning.
After he was located at a hospital outside Beirut, the judge on Friday ordered the security forces "to reinforce measures in the wing where Salameh is staying" and at the facility's entrances, and for the former bank chief to be considered "in custody," the official added.
Last month, an initial hearing was held at Salameh's home due to his deteriorating health, with a judge presiding over his questioning.
The central bank previously told AFP it was the "victim of the embezzlement of funds amounting to several hundred million euros, committed at its expense by its former governor, Mr. Riad Salameh, with the assistance of several individuals in his circle."
Salameh, who headed the central bank from 1993 to July 2023, is accused of having amassed a fortune during his time in the job and has faced numerous accusations including embezzlement and tax evasion in probes in Lebanon and abroad.
The 76-year-old has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has insisted he is being made a "scapegoat" for the country's economic collapse, which began in 2019.
Source: Agence France Presse
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