Protesters and journalists gather near a vehicle from the convoy of former BDL Governor Riad Salameh as he arrives at the Beirut courthouse in Lebanon on Sept. 9, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Azakir/Reuters)
Beirut’s interim first investigative judge, Bilal Halawi, issued an arrest warrant on Monday for Riad Salameh following a tense two-hour hearing at the Beirut Justice Palace. This marks the first time the former governor of Banque du Liban (BDL) has been questioned by the judge since financial charges were brought against him on Sept. 4. These charges include “embezzlement and theft of public funds, forgery, and illicit enrichment.” The alleged wrongdoing stems from treasury bond transactions between BDL and the financial company Optimum Invest (OI) in 2015 and 2016. Both Salameh and OI have consistently denied any wrongdoings.
Salameh, who was initially arrested on Sept. 3 by Public Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar, will remain in detention and is expected to appear before Judge Halawi again on Thursday. Despite being accompanied by his lawyer, Marc Habka, Salameh did not immediately submit a request for release, which is his legal right. It remains unclear why Salameh chose not to submit the request. He may still submit such a request during the investigation, which the judge would forward to the financial prosecutor for review before deciding. If rejected, Salameh could appeal the decision to Beirut’s indictment chamber. If approved, the financial prosecutor could challenge the release.
Public outcry
Salameh arrived at the Beirut Justice Palace shortly before 10 a.m. in a tinted-window van, greeted by about a hundred protesters shouting insults. Some banged on the vehicle’s windows and hood, chanting, “Harameh, harameh, Riad Salameh harameh!” (Riad Salameh is a thief).
Outside the Justice Palace, during the hearing, depositors staged a sit-in. Among them was MP Elias Jaradeh, a figure affiliated with the protest movement, who told L’Orient-Le Jour that, “As a depositor and representative of the Lebanese people,” he filed a complaint last year with Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Ghada Aoun over suspicions of fraud between the BDL and OI. “I hope there won’t be any circumvention,” he said, warning, “If there is, we won’t stay silent.”
Another protester, holding a loudspeaker, urged Judge Halawi to “complete the investigation,” promising him “halaweh” (a sesame-based sweet), playing on the judge’s surname. He also warned, “Otherwise, there will be blood revenge.”
Since Salameh’s arrest was announced on Sept. 3, Judge Aoun has repeatedly criticized the fact that the investigation is being handled by the Court of Cassation’s prosecutor and Beirut’s investigating judge, arguing that the case has been under her jurisdiction for some time. According to information obtained by L’Orient-Le Jour, Aoun visited Hajjar on Sept. 5 to present an official request to interrogate Salameh on Sept. 11. She requested that Salameh be transferred to the Baabda Justice Palace, where she is stationed, or offered to go to the Beirut Justice Palace if there were “security risks.”
Hajjar neither accepted nor rejected her request, indicating he would consider it. In June, he had asked Aoun to transfer all financial crimes cases, including those related to OI, to him and barred the judicial police from executing her instructions, including arrest or search warrants. According to a Justice Palace source, Aoun is seeking to question Salameh about other cases involving the former governor.
Inside the Justice Palace, tensions were also high, with strict security measures in place. Lawyers seeking to handle routine casework were barred from accessing offices near Judge Halawi’s chambers. The ground-floor entrance leading to the first-floor office was blocked by security forces. After an altercation between an officer and a member of the bar, the officer allowed lawyers to enter, but only in limited numbers.
In an interview with MTV (where he also serves as legal counsel), lawyer Habka praised Salameh’s cooperation with the judiciary, accusing “certain politicians” of obstructing the truth. He criticized media portrayals of Salameh as someone “trying to evade justice,” reminding that Salameh had attended the Sept. 3 hearing “voluntarily.” When contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, Habka was unavailable to comment further on the hearing. The session was attended by BDL’s legal representative (from the law office of former Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar), who had filed a civil lawsuit against Salameh in April.
Two lawyers summoned for Thursday?
A significant development during the hearing was the exclusion of Hélène Iskandar, head of the State Litigation Department, from attending. Although her office joined the case as a civil party on Sept. 5, Judge Halawi barred her from the session, citing the absence of authorization from the relevant minister — Finance Minister Youssef Khalil. According to a source, Iskandar responded in writing, stating that no legislation requires such authorization and that the law grants her the authority to “protect the state’s rights concerning reparations.” Judge Halawi also reportedly questioned whether Iskandar had standing to join the case, to which she replied that this should be raised by Salameh, not by the investigative judge. Iskandar is still awaiting a response on whether she can attend Thursday’s hearing.
Judge Halawi’s predecessor, Charbel Abou Samra, had allowed Salameh to remain free after questioning him on Aug. 3, 2023. Iskandar appealed the decision, and an indictment chamber overturned it, summoning Salameh for further questioning. Salameh then challenged the chamber members, effectively paralyzing their work.
According to a well-informed lawyer, Judge Halawi intends to summon two lawyers for Thursday’s hearing. These lawyers are the subject of a prosecution request sent to the Beirut Bar Association by the financial prosecutor last week, but the association has yet to act due to procedural gaps. Without waiting for authorization, Judge Halawi could summon them as witnesses. One lawyer works with tBDL, while the other is a family member of Salameh. Both are suspected of transferring funds from Optimum Invest’s accounts, allegedly benefiting Salameh.
Meanwhile, rumors circulated about the possible escape of former minister and Al-Mawarid Bank CEO Marwan Kheireddine, who is also under investigation in connection with Salameh. However, Kheireddine denied to L’Orient-Le Jour that he had left the country.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour and translated by Sahar Ghoussoub.
