Riad Salameh Under Investigation for Alleged Embezzlement of $40 Million from Central Bank

A report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

The suspicion being pursued against former Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, centers on allegations of embezzling public funds.

For this reason, the Public Prosecutor referred the case to the Financial Prosecutor, Ali Ibrahim, who indicted Salameh on this charge and sent him into custody before the First Investigative Judge in Beirut, Bilal Halawi.

Halawi will begin reviewing the case on Thursday, and if completed, he may schedule an interrogation session with Salameh for Friday. If not, the session will be held at the start of next week.

Judicial sources indicated that the amount suspected of being embezzled from the consultancy account through the Optimum Invest firm reaches $40 million out of a total of $110 million in this account, according to the Alvarez and Marsal report.

Today, Riad Salameh faces a series of legal actions both domestically and internationally. Notably, one major case involves Optimum Invest, which led to his arrest. 

Another significant case is related to the Forry Associates file, which remains pending in court due to lawsuits filed by Salameh’s lawyers.