Arrest warrant issued: Former BDL governor Riad Salameh arrested ahead of second hearing

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Amid heightened security and public outcry, former Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh arrived for questioning at the Beirut Justice Palace. The interrogation, led by Investigating Judge Bilal Halawi, lasted two and a half hours. 

Following the session, Halawi issued an arrest warrant against Salameh in connection with the embezzlement of $40 million through a consultancy account at BDL through the company Optimum Invest.

A second hearing is scheduled for Thursday to investigate the case further, focusing on the operations of the consultancy account and the working mechanism with Optimum Invest.

Monday's session included a representative from BDL, which had filed a lawsuit in the case. 

However, Helena Iskandar, head of the Justice Ministry's Cases Authority, was not permitted to attend. 

Salameh's defense lawyer objected to her presence. Judge Halawi denied her participation, citing the absence of permission from the Finance Minister, as the case involves suspected embezzlement of public funds.

Salameh's lawyer expressed confidence in the ongoing legal process, denying that his client had embezzled public money and emphasizing that the funds in the consultancy account were not public assets. He also clarified that the charges against Salameh were unrelated to the fate of bank deposits.

After the hearing, Salameh was escorted out of the Justice Palace and returned to the Internal Security Forces (ISF) custody, where he has been detained since last week.