Prosecutor Hajj to question Riad Salameh at his home on June 17 in illicit enrichment case

BEIRUT — The public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Rami Hajj, will go next Wednesday, June 17, to the home of Riad Salameh to question him as part of a case involving alleged illicit enrichment implicating the former Banque du Liban (BDL, Central Bank) governor and former Bank Audi CEO Samir Hanna, L'Orient-Le Jour has learned from a source close to the case.

The decision was made during a hearing on Tuesday attended by Salameh's lawyer, Wassim Ghawi, before Prosecutor Hajj. The prosecutor has already questioned Hanna for several hours in connection with the case but has not yet been able to question Salameh. His lawyer maintains that his client's health condition prevents him from attending hearings.

Ghawi had submitted an initial report from a forensic doctor to justify Salameh's medical condition, but it was deemed insufficient. Hajj then ordered, at the plaintiff's request, that a panel of forensic doctors assess the validity of the medical excuses, which was carried out before Tuesday's hearing.

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Following that examination, which found that Salameh was in poor health, Hajj decided that he would personally go to the former central bank chief's home. According to our information, Salameh resides in Safra, in Kesrouan. The hearing, which will take place in the presence of a court clerk, is scheduled for June 17.

The case against Salameh and Hanna was referred to the prosecutor's office last January by current BDL governor Karim Souhaid. Kept under strict secrecy within both judicial and BDL circles, the case reportedly concerns securities subscribed to by BDL in companies, with guarantees allegedly constituted by shares held in Bank Audi. Lebanon's Code of Money and Credit prohibits BDL from investing in private entities, as its mandate is to ensure financial stability rather than engage in commercial activities.

Meanwhile, a hearing for Salameh is scheduled for Thursday before the Beirut Criminal Court in the so-called "consultancy account" case. This will be the first time Salameh is due to appear before the criminal court rather than an investigating judge or prosecutor, though he is unlikely to attend for the same reasons.

In this case, Salameh is subject to a deferred arrest order issued by the Beirut Indictment Chamber. That order can only be enforced by the criminal court. Salameh is accused of allegedly embezzling $44.8 million from the consultancy account into private accounts.

The BDL account includes, among other funds, commissions collected through transactions between the central bank and brokerage firm Optimum Invest between 2015 and 2018. Both the company and Salameh have denied any wrongdoing. Some of these funds are believed to have been transferred to private accounts through commercial banks.