Banque du Liban governor Riad Salameh. (Credit: Illustration by Guilhem Dorandeu, photo by João Sousa/L'Orient-Le Jour)
This is one of the country’s secret tricks. Over the past three years, legal proceedings were initiated in Lebanon and abroad against Banque du Liban’s governor Riad Salameh, on charges including illicit enrichment, embezzlement and tax evasion.In any “self-respecting” country, experts believe, the executive branch would have already taken the necessary steps to dismiss or suspend this senior official from office.“All the conditions for a dismissal or at least a suspension have been met,” said Karim Daher, a lawyer and lecturer at USJ.According to Article 19 of the Code of Money and Credit, the governor can be removed from the job “in case of serious mismanagement or infringement to the duties of his functions,” including offenses and crimes such as embezzlement, influence peddling or abuse of position, Daher said.But after three decades...
This is one of the country’s secret tricks. Over the past three years, legal proceedings were initiated in Lebanon and abroad against Banque du Liban’s governor Riad Salameh, on charges including illicit enrichment, embezzlement and tax evasion.In any “self-respecting” country, experts believe, the executive branch would have already taken the necessary steps to dismiss or suspend this senior official from office.“All the conditions for a dismissal or at least a suspension have been met,” said Karim Daher, a lawyer and lecturer at USJ.According to Article 19 of the Code of Money and Credit, the governor can be removed from the job “in case of serious mismanagement or infringement to the duties of his functions,” including offenses and crimes such as embezzlement, influence peddling or abuse of position, Daher said.But...