Former Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh during a meeting of the Economic and Social Council and the government in Beirut on Sept. 27, 2018, while he was still in office. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
On Thursday, the Lebanese State Litigation Department joined the case against former Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh as a civil party, "and against anyone identified as involved in the investigation," following the charges filed the previous day by the financial prosecutor’s office, reports the National News Agency (NNA).
After hearing Salameh on Tuesday and placing him in detention for four days, until Friday, the Prosecutor General of the Republic, Jamal Hajjar, transferred the case to the financial public prosecutor’s office. The office has charged Salameh with "embezzlement and theft of public funds, forgery, and illicit enrichment" and referred him to interim Investigating Judge Bilal Halaoui, who has the authority to issue an arrest warrant against Salameh if necessary.
This is not the first time the Lebanese state has joined a case against Salameh as a civil party.