President Michel Aoun heads cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon Sept. 13, 2021. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — Cabinet decided Wednesday to summon Bank Du Liban Governor Riad Salameh the next time it meets, in order to discuss matters related to banks, Information Minister Ziad Makari said following today’s session.
Here’s what we know:
• Makari also said that the cabinet gave an “initial approval” to fund the Energy Ministry with $78 million for production to avoid a shutdown of power plants. “The approval still awaits the remarks of the Finance Ministry,” he said.
• During today’s session, Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed optimism for an improvement in relations between Lebanon and the Gulf countries, a day after Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry expressed positivity towards Lebanon, saying “the Gulf [countries] statements indicates that the dark cloud that covered relations [between Lebanon and Gulf countries] will soon disappear.”
• Contradicting media reports saying that cabinet had formed a committee made up of judges and bankers that would study the latest decisions taken by the judiciary regarding banks, Makari said “Justice Minister Henry Khoury was assigned to this task, he could decide to form a committee or not. As of now, there is no committee.”
• On Monday Judge Ghada Aoun, the top prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, ordered the seizure of real estate assets belonging to Raja Salameh, the brother of Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh, who was placed in custody late last week.
• Judge Ghada Aoun, who is widely perceived as close to the Free Patriotic Movement, has been investigating Riad Salameh on charges of fraud leading up to Lebanon’s 2019 financial collapse, charges he strenuously denies. In January, Aoun slapped a travel ban on him.
• President Michel Aoun’s press office has dubbed claims that he has directed Judge Aoun to pursue the probe against Salameh as “lies.”
• Parallel to Judge Aoun’s probe, Riad Salameh is already under investigation by Judge Jean Tannous, a deputy prosecutor in Lebanon’s Court of Cassation, following a Swiss request for legal assistance into the matter in 2021.