Lebanese Judge Ghada Aoun told various media outlets Monday that she had charged the head of the country’s central bank, Riad Salameh, with illegal enrichment and money laundering during Lebanon’s eocnomic crisis.
It is the first charge brought against the veteran governor. Salameh’s wealth is currently being investigated by authorities in at least five European countriesfor alleged embezzlement.
Aoun told Reuters and AP that the charge is linked to purchases and rentals of apartments in Paris, some of it to the central bank, which he had been heading for nearly three decades.
Salameh has denied the charge multiple times, saying he had ordered an audit which showed public funds were not a source of his wealth. Reports at the time suggested the scrutiny of the audit was hampered by the political establishment.
The banking sector began a two-day strike on Monday to protest recent moves by Lebanon’s judiciary against local lenders.
The banks’ protests were sparked after Judge Aoun froze the assets of six of Lebanon’s largest banks and those of their board of directors last week to investigate possible transfers of billions of dollars abroad as they imposed informal capital controls.
Who is Riad Salameh?
Riad Salameh, 71, had steered Lebanon’s finances since 1993, through post-war recovery and political unrests.
He was praised as the pillar of Lebanon’s financial stability but after the country’s economic meltdown in late 2019 he has drawn increasing scrutiny.
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