Former Banque du Liban (BDL) governor, Riad Salameh. (Credit: LBCI)
BEIRUT — Former Banque du Liban (BDL) governor, Riad Salameh, did not attend his legal hearing on Monday before the deputy general prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Ahmad Rami al-Hajj.
Salameh’s lawyer, Wassim Ghawi, presented Hajj with a medical excuse, who then postponed the interrogation to May 4.
Judge Hajj was meant to question Salameh in connection with alleged illicit enrichment charges against him, which had been brought before the public prosecutor’s office last January by current BDL governor Karim Souhaid.
Souhaid had announced at a press conference that he had filed a complaint against “a former BDL official,” and “a former banker,” who was revealed to be Samir Hanna, former CEO of Bank Audi.
Hanna has already been questioned twice, with another hearing scheduled for Wednesday. The case reportedly involves securities that BDL had subscribed to in certain companies, with the guarantee being shares held in Bank Audi, a judicial source told L'Orient-Le Jour.
The investigation seeks to determine whether this type of operation complies with the Code of Money and Credit, the same source added.
When asked by L’Orient-Le Jour, a lawyer who spoke on condition of anonymity noted that this Code prohibits BDL from investing in private entities, as its mission is to ensure financial stability, not to engage in commercial activities.
