Amine Salam case: Former minister's brother and head of Accountants Syndicate questioned by Halawi

Interim Beirut Investigative Judge Bilal Halawi on Monday questioned Karim Salam — brother and close aide to former Economy Minister Amine Salam — as well as Elie Abboud, president of the Accountants Syndicate, over charges brought against them by the financial public prosecutor.

The case centers on alleged offenses including "waste of public funds, mismanagement, blackmail, and bribery," in which both the former minister and his brother are implicated. They have been in detention since April 8 and June 11, respectively. Last May, Karim Salam was also referred to the Criminal Court, where he is currently being tried on a separate charge: allegedly accepting a bribe to regularize the status of a troubled insurance company, al-Mashrek, with the Economy Ministry.

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Karim Salam déféré devant la Cour criminelle

The hearing was attended by Bertha Naim, representing the State Litigation Department, who joined the case on June 2 following a complaint filed by the public prosecutor against Salam, at the request of current Economy Minister Amer Bisat.

Salam’s financial adviser, Fadi Tamim — also charged by the financial prosecutor — was due to appear but was absent, having submitted a justification to Judge Halawi.

Tamim previously served nine months in prison after being convicted in June 2024 for accepting a bribe. His interrogation has been rescheduled for Monday, June 30. On the same day, the judge is also expected to hear testimony from Nadim Haddad, director of the Insurance Control Commission, who was not in office at the time of the alleged offenses.

Another witness expected Monday is Sahar Bazzi, an official in the Commission’s accounting department, who reportedly signed receipts for fund withdrawals from an account opened in her name.

In addition, six representatives of insurance companies, including Medgulf, Bankers, LIA, and Assurex, have been summoned to testify at a hearing on Tuesday, July 1. Based on these testimonies, Judge Halawi is expected to decide whether to issue new arrest warrants or release the accused individuals, according to a judicial source.