Illicit enrichment: Next hearing set for June 1

In a case of alleged illicit enrichment involving former Banque du Liban (BDL, central bank) governor Riad Salameh and former Bank Audi CEO Samir Hanna, filed with the public prosecutor's office last January by current BDL governor Karim Souhaid, the new prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, decided Monday to set the next hearing for June 1.

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Surrounded by strict secrecy within judiciary and BDL circles, the case, based on the scant information available, reportedly concerns securities subscribed to by the BDL in companies, with guarantees consisting of shares held in Bank Audi. The Code of Credit and Currency prohibits the BDL from investing in private entities, as its mission is to ensure financial stability and not to engage in commercial activities.

Hajj is continuing this investigation, which he was assigned while serving as deputy public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, during which he questioned Hanna. Salameh did not appear, with his lawyer, Wassim Ghaoui, twice submitting medical reports to justify his absence. At a hearing held on April 20, Hajj reportedly requested that a forensic physician present a report to verify the validity of these medical excuses, a report that was apparently submitted Monday.

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Riad Salameh's hearing postponed to May 4

As this did not seem sufficient, the head of the prosecutor's office, at the request of the plaintiff represented by attorney Choucri Haddad, is said to have ordered the appointment of a medical commission to evaluate the former governor's health, postponing examination of the case to June 1 pending the commission's findings.