Former Lebanese Central Bank Governor detained over embezzlement charges

Lebanese authorities for the first time arrested embattled former central bank governor Riad Salameh on Tuesday after questioning him over alleged embezzlement, a judicial told AFP.

Salameh is accused of having amassed a fortune during some three decades in the job and faces numerous accusations, including embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion in separate probes at home and abroad.

He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Lebanon's public prosecutor "arrested Salameh after questioning him for three hours on suspicions of embezzlement from the central bank exceeding $40 million", funds that were allegedly transferred abroad, the judicial official said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

It is the first time Salameh has appeared before Lebanon's judiciary since he left his post of 30 years at the end of July last year without a successor.

He is widely viewed as a key culprit in Lebanon's dramatic economic crash, which began in late 2019.

Salameh arrived at the judge's office "without a lawyer" and "waived" his right to have his representative present when asked if he wanted one, the official said.

The questioning concerned "a case that is completely separate" from others being investigated, the official said, adding that Salameh's responses failed to convince the judge, who then ordered his arrest.

He has been transferred to a jail in Beirut's upscale Ashrafieh area, the official said, and can be held for up to four days unless he is formally charged.

 Wanted and sanctioned  

Salameh is wanted by authorities in France for alleged financial crimes, with Interpol having issued Red Notices targeting him. Lebanon does not extradite its citizens.

Lebanon has frozen Salameh's bank accounts, while Britain, Canada and the United States have slapped sanctions on the former official.

In June, a German court cancelled an arrest warrant against Salameh because he could no longer use his post to suppress evidence, prosecutors said.

The court ruling, however, "confirmed the urgent suspicion with regard to the accusations made against the suspect".

In March 2022, France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in a move linked to a probe into Salameh's wealth.

European investigators have questioned Salameh in Beirut, also hearing from others including his assistant Marianne Hoayek, his brother Raja, a Lebanese minister and central bank audit firms.

Following the Interpol Red Notices, a local judge questioned Salameh, confiscated his French and Lebanese passports, banned him from travelling and released him pending investigations.

Since late 2019, Lebanon has been mired in an economic crisis that the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in modern times, leaving many in poverty.

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