Lebanon's central bank chief Riad Salameh poses during a studio photo session in the capital Beirut, on Dec. 20, 2021. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)
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Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh said he intends to appeal an international arrest warrant issued by the French judiciary after he skipped a hearing in Paris, a source close to the case told AFP. Salameh could not be reached by security forces during three attempts to deliver the summons, issued at the request of French magistrates by the Lebanese judge heading the local investigation. According to court documents seen by Reuters last month, the French judiciary informed Salameh that, during the hearing, they would have formally named him as a suspect in their investigation into the alleged embezzlement of BDL funds — suspected to have been concealed in hundreds of millions of euros worth of assets across Europe, including tens of millions’ of euros worth of real estate seized in France. The French judiciary’s decision to charge Salameh follows their indictment of AM Bank chairman Marwan Kheireddine, who was accused of supplying Salameh with purportedly doctored bank statements. A Lebanese judicial source told Reuters that lawyers representing Salameh and his associates filed an objection to the Lebanese judiciary, claiming that France should not be allowed to try a case already being investigated in Lebanon.
Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal Public Prosecutor Ghada Aoun confirmed to L’Orient Today that she officially filed an appeal against her dismissal by the disciplinary council of magistrates. Aoun’s dismissal cannot be enforced before the High Disciplinary Council decides on the appeal. Last Thursday, Aoun filed new charges of illicit enrichment against Banque du Liban chief Riad Salameh, his wife and actress Stephanie Saliba. The disciplinary council of magistrates did not say why Aoun was dismissed when it announced its decision on May 4. A recent complaint followed Aoun’s attempt to prosecute banking officials who refused to comply with her document requests. In 2021, she was referred to the disciplinary council for raiding the headquarters of money exchanger Mecattaf, despite having been dismissed from that case. Aoun spoke out against the decision to a crowd of supporters immediately after the announcement and then in a series of statements, listing investigations she started locally, which have gained international traction.
Data released yesterday by the Internal Security Forces (ISF) showed a drop in reported crimes. The ISF said that “despite difficult circumstances” the number of reported car thefts, murders and pickpocketing cases dropped last year. “Even if we are not given high salaries, we are aware that if we don't do our duties, criminals will fill the gap and we cannot accept that,” an ISF source told L’Orient Today, linking the decrease to a 2021 decision to fight rising crime. A lawyer speaking to L’Orient Today, however, saw that the lower numbers “could be an indication that people stopped trusting security institutions and stopped reporting these crimes.” Last year, a study on ISF data by Beirut-based research center Information International showed a surge in murder and suicide and a decrease in theft.
Syrian authorities turned in the alleged killer of a retired Lebanese Army general in October 2022, the Lebanese Army said in a tweet. The statement said the alleged killer fled to Syria after shooting retired Gen. Alaaeddine Chraiteh “following a dispute over the ownership of a piece of land.” Personal disputes in Lebanon have repeatedly escalated into armed, often deadly, clashes — exacerbated by the rampant presence of firearms. Land ownership has emerged as a frequent instigator of such conflicts. In April, four people suffered stab wounds during a fight in the town of Beit Zud in Dinnieh, North Lebanon, after the escalation of an ongoing dispute over land ownership. In October 2022, a man shot his brother in the village of Chouaghir in Hermel after a dispute over land ownership.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from over the yesterday: “Why the Salameh affair is much more complex than it seems”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz