Justice Palace in Baabda. (Credit: Photo archives NNA)
Mount Lebanon’s First Investigating Judge Nicolas Mansour issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for former Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh after a two-hour interrogation over alleged embezzlement of $11 million, which Salameh denies. The case pertains to the acquisition and operation of real estate in France, specifically properties rented by BDL on the prestigious Champs-Élysées avenue to establish an emergency center for the central bank.
The lease, signed in 2010, was with a property management company led by Salameh’s former girlfriend, Anna Kosakova, and involved several million euros in rental payments over multiple years.
This latest arrest warrant follows another issued on Sept. 9 by Beirut’s Acting First Examining Magistrate Bilal Halawi in the Optimum Invest case, which concerns the alleged embezzlement of about $44 million.
Long before the Sept. 3 proceedings initiated by Court of Cassation Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar, which led to Halawi’s warrant, Mansour had scheduled a hearing for Salameh on Oct. 24 at the Baabda Justice Palace.
On Oct. 24, Salameh, held at Internal Security Forces (ISF) headquarters in Achrafieh, did not appear after ISF officers cited “security” reasons for not transporting him, according to police statements to the Cassation Prosecutor's Office. Mansour held another interrogation hearing on Thursday after the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal rejected Salameh’s Oct. 22 request to relinquish jurisdiction.
What about the request for release?
In the Optimum case, Salameh appealed to the Beirut Indictment Chamber on Tuesday against a decision made days earlier by Halawi, who denied his request for release. An earlier release request had also been rejected last month.
According to our information, the appeal’s outcome is still pending. A source at the Beirut Palace of Justice confirmed that the appeal was received Thursday by Judge Nassib Elia, who has been appointed as an ad hoc president of an indictment chamber to review specific appeals related to Salameh, filed by Helene Iskandar, head of State Litigation.
Elia was appointed in response to liability claims Salameh filed against the Beirut Indictment Division, presided over by Judge Maher Cheaito. Salameh subsequently pursued similar actions against other indictment chambers, effectively hindering them from considering Iskandar’s appeals.
These appeals were ultimately ruled on Oct. 10 by Elia and his assessors, none of whom were targeted by appeals that would prevent them from addressing the cases.
A source told us that Cheaito believes he is unable to rule on Salameh’s release request due to a state liability action filed against him. Conversely, Elia maintains that this appeal does not relate to the release request. The source added that Cheaito should formally recuse himself before another body considers the matter.
Contacted by the L'Orient Le-Jour, a magistrate who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity stated that Salameh has withdrawn all the appeals he had filed against various magistrates. He added, the former head of the BDL, who previously utilized these legal maneuvers to delay proceedings, no longer has a reason to do so, given his current arrest. However, the judges involved cannot be swayed unless the plenary assembly of the Court of Cassation, the body responsible for adjudicating such appeals, reaches a decision. Unfortunately, this high court has been unable to convene since March 2022 due to a lack of quorum.
A magistrate who spoke with L’Orient-Le Jour on condition of anonymity stated that Salameh has withdrawn all appeals he filed against various magistrates. The source noted that Salameh, who had previously used these legal maneuvers to delay proceedings, has no further reason to do so now that he is detained. However, the judges involved cannot proceed unless the plenary assembly of the Court of Cassation — responsible for such appeals — issues a ruling. However, the high court has not convened since March 2022 due to a lack of quorum.
Which body will ultimately decide on Salameh’s appeal against Halawi’s denial of his release?
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient Le-Jour and was translated by Tasnim Chaaban