Former Banque du Liban governor Riad Salameh, in December 2021. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)
No one saw this coming. On Tuesday, Riad Salameh, the former governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL), was arrested, likely in connection with the so-called Optimum case, which involves alleged suspicious transactions between the central bank and Optimum Invest. This arrest is notable for being one of the rare instances involving a former top official, and not just any official. Salameh, who faces accusations of corruption and money laundering in Lebanon and several European countries, is widely viewed as a villain, particularly since he is also blamed for much of the monetary and financial collapse of 2019. He was also long seen as a protégé of Lebanon’s most influential political figures. Could this arrest signal the end of impunity in Lebanon? That remains uncertain."We need to see how things unfold," said Ibrahim Mneimneh, a Parliament...
No one saw this coming. On Tuesday, Riad Salameh, the former governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL), was arrested, likely in connection with the so-called Optimum case, which involves alleged suspicious transactions between the central bank and Optimum Invest. This arrest is notable for being one of the rare instances involving a former top official, and not just any official. Salameh, who faces accusations of corruption and money laundering in Lebanon and several European countries, is widely viewed as a villain, particularly since he is also blamed for much of the monetary and financial collapse of 2019. He was also long seen as a protégé of Lebanon’s most influential political figures. Could this arrest signal the end of impunity in Lebanon? That remains uncertain."We need to see how things unfold," said Ibrahim Mneimneh, a...