Demonstrators carry Lebanese flags and a banner depicting BDL Gov. Riad Salameh as they head toward a central bank building during an anti-government protest in the southern city of Sur in 2019. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
BEIRUT — State Security attempted to bring in central bank Governor Riad Salameh for questioning on Tuesday, local news sources reported.
Here’s what we know:
• The intervention of State Security followed a subpoena issued by Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Ghada Aoun against Salameh. The central bank governor could not be found at either of his houses in Safra or Rabieh or at the Banque du Liban headquarters.
• The subpoena was issued on Feb. 1 after Salameh’s third failure to appear for questioning in relation to a suit filed against him by lawyers representing the civil society group The People Want to Reform the System. The group accused Salameh of embezzlement, wasting public funds, illegal enrichment and money laundering.
• Later Tuesday afternoon, Aoun said in a statement: "I will continue to pursue the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, until I bring him to the arc of justice." Judge Aoun added that she had also written "to the Directorate of the Internal Security Forces to find out if there was a written decision not to harm Salameh."
• The Public Relation Division of the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces issued a statement Tuesday evening denying media reports that its officers had interfered in the State Security's execution of the subpoena against Salameh. "The Internal Security Forces did not prevent a patrol from the General Directorate of State Security from executing the subpoena against the governor of the Banque du Liban," the statement reads.