Former Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh on Dec. 20, 2021. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)
In a June 10 letter addressed to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Karim Souhaid requested Cabinet authorization to conclude, through a direct and confidential contract, an agreement with an international forensic audit firm tasked with tracing the funds that passed through the “consultation account,” identifying the final beneficiaries and documenting the damage suffered by the central bank.According to the letter seen by L’Orient-Le Jour, BDL mandated the French law firm Clifford Chance Paris in April 2024 to represent it in criminal proceedings launched in several European countries against the former governor over suspicions of embezzlement and unlawful appropriation of public funds. More from Mounir War revives debate over partial sale of Lebanon’s gold to fund return of deposits The firm later...
In a June 10 letter addressed to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Karim Souhaid requested Cabinet authorization to conclude, through a direct and confidential contract, an agreement with an international forensic audit firm tasked with tracing the funds that passed through the “consultation account,” identifying the final beneficiaries and documenting the damage suffered by the central bank.According to the letter seen by L’Orient-Le Jour, BDL mandated the French law firm Clifford Chance Paris in April 2024 to represent it in criminal proceedings launched in several European countries against the former governor over suspicions of embezzlement and unlawful appropriation of public funds. More from Mounir War revives debate over partial sale of Lebanon’s gold to fund return of deposits The firm...
