Champs-Élysées premises rented by BDL: Riad Salameh to appear in court July 13

A hearing has been scheduled for July 13 by Jounieh's sole criminal judge, Antoine al-Hajj, in the case against former Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh related to the acquisition and operation of real estate in France, L'Orient-Le Jour learned Thursday.

The case notably concerns the Central Bank's 2010 rental of premises on Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris to serve as an emergency center.

The operation, which reportedly involved the BDL paying several million euros in rent over several years, is said to have been concluded with a property management company run by Anna Kosakova, Salameh's former partner.

In connection with this case, former interim chief investigative judge of Mount Lebanon Nicolas Mansour issued an arrest warrant for Salameh in late October 2024, before indicting him in July 2025 while also granting his release on bail.

The same judge immediately referred the case to the sole criminal judge. The charges against Salameh — illicit enrichment and money laundering — are classified as offenses and therefore do not fall under the jurisdiction of the criminal court.

Asked about the one-year gap between the referral of the case to the sole criminal judge and the scheduling of the July 13 hearing, a source close to the case told L'Orient-Le Jour that an initial hearing had been scheduled for early December 2025.

However, it was postponed due to the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon, during which all public administrations and institutions were closed.

A second hearing was then set for last March, but it also did not take place because of a strike by justice auxiliaries.