The Baabda Justice Palace. (Credit: Ahmad al-Kerdi/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Nicolas Mansour, first investigating judge at the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal, on Thursday ordered the release on bail of Raja Salameh, the younger brother of central bank chief Riad Salemeh. However, Raja Salameh remains in custody pending an answer from the Indictment Chamber on an anticipated appeal of Mansour’s decision lodged by Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun.
Here’s what we know:
• A source confirmed to L'Orient Today that Mansour authorized Raja Salameh’s release on bail of LL500 billion alongside the imposition of a travel ban and asset freeze, but Judge Aoun was expected to appeal the decision to release the detainee, who has been in custody since March 17 on charges of illicit enrichment brought by Aoun.
• From his part, Raja Salemeh’s lawyer, Marwan Issa El-Khoury presented on Thursday a counter appeal to Aoun and requested that the bail amount be lowered. The Indictment Chamber must now rule on the matter.
• Last week, Mansour questioned Raja Salameh for several hours in relation to suspicions of involvement in real estate cases in France in connection with Banque du Liban, and then issued an arrest warrant against him.
• A source also confirmed to L'Orient Today that Mansour postponed to June 9 a hearing scheduled Thursday for BDL head Riad Salameh, after he failed to appear in the court.
• Riad Salameh is implicated in several investigations abroad concerning financial wrongdoing, in five European countries, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco and Belgium. Judge Aoun recently charged Riad Salameh and his entourage with illicit enrichment in connection to apartments acquired in France by the BDL governor, as well as real estate offices on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris rented by the central bank from a former companion of the governor.
CORRECTION: This post originally stated that Judge Ghada Aoun had appealed the decision to release Salameh. She was expected to file the appeal Thursday but had not yet filed it as of publication of the post. Aoun filed the appeal on Friday