The headquarters of the Banque du Liban in Hamra, Beirut. (Credit: Ahmad Azakir/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Marianne Hoayek, former assistant to Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh, is undergoing questioning Thursday morning by a delegation of European judges who arrived in Beirut earlier this week as part of a corruption probe into Salameh, his brother Raja and several associates.
Hoayek showed up at the Beirut Justice Palace for her hearing, the state-run National News Agency reported. She is being heard by the European investigators as a witness.
French, German and Luxembourg magistrates arrived in Beirut on Monday, for the third time since January, to continue their investigation into commissions received by a company owned by Raja Salameh, Forry Associates Ltd, during sales of financial securities of BDL.
Raja Salameh was supposed to be heard by the delegation on Tuesday and Wednesday but skipped the session, reportedly for medical reasons.
A French court document seen by Reuters said up to 5 million euros from the central bank ultimately went to Hoayek via accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Hoayek is also mentioned in a 2021 Swiss request for legal assistance from Lebanese authorities, in which Swiss authorities allege she was the beneficiary of funds that were diverted from the central bank to the detriment of the Lebanese state.
On Friday, it will be the turn of caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, in his capacity as the former director of operations of the BDL, to appear before the European delegation, again as a witness.
Two employees of firms that audit BDL's accounts will also testify: Walid Nakfour, from Ernst and Young, on May 2, and Nada Makhlouf, from Deloitte, on May 4.
Meanwhile, Raja Abou Asli, BDL's senior director, will have to answer investigators' questions on May 3. The hearings are expected to conclude on May 5.