The governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, speaks during a press conference at the bank's headquarters in Beirut, on Nov. 11, 2019. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj on Monday ordered the transfer of former Banque du Liban (BDL, Central Bank) governor Riad Salameh from Roumieh prison to Dahr al-Bashek government hospital, a senior judicial source told L’Orient-Le Jour.
According to the source, Salameh has continued to refuse both medication and medical examinations. A second source close to the case confirmed that he had been transferred to Dahr al-Bashek.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that Salameh’s transfer was ordered so he could undergo "routine medical examinations" and was not due to "a deterioration in his health." The agency said Judge al-Hajj ordered medical tests, an electrocardiogram and a respiratory test. His blood pressure was stable and within normal limits, according to the NNA.
However, Salameh refused to undergo the medical procedures, including the electrocardiogram and respiratory test. Following his refusal, Judge al-Hajj ordered a patrol from the Internal Security Forces’ Broumana unit to go to Roumieh prison and prepare an official report documenting Salameh’s refusal to undergo the examinations and take his medication.
Salameh had been detained at Roumieh since Saturday on the orders of the Court of Cassation prosecutor. On Sunday, he told his doctor that he intended to “stop eating and taking his medication,” according to a statement from the physician released by Salameh’s legal team.
Salameh met on Sunday with his treating physician, Dr. Alexandre Khoury. According to a statement issued by his lawyers, the doctor found that Salameh’s health had significantly deteriorated during his detention and recommended that he be re-hospitalized at Bhannès hospital for closer "medical monitoring and continuous supervision."
"Since they intend to get rid of me, I will make it easier for them," Salameh reportedly told his doctor, according to the same statement, announcing his decision to stop eating, drinking and taking his medication.
On Saturday, Judge al-Hajj had ordered Salameh’s transfer from Bhannès hospital to Roumieh prison, where he had been admitted the day after missing a July 30 hearing. The hearing was part of a case filed following a complaint by current Banque du Liban governor Karim Souhaid over allegedly questionable transactions carried out during Salameh’s tenure at the central bank from 1993 to 2023.
Salameh, who served as Banque du Liban governor from 1993 until July 2023 and is facing several corruption cases in Lebanon and abroad, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. The 76-year-old was arrested Friday at Bhannès hospital, where he had gone after the Court of Cassation prosecutor’s office issued a search warrant for him following his failure to appear at the hearing. Prosecutors said he had refused to attend, while security forces were unable to locate him at his residences.
The complaint, which also names former Bank Audi CEO Samir Hanna, concerns securities that Banque du Liban allegedly subscribed to in companies whose guarantees consisted of Bank Audi shares. The transactions are alleged to have caused significant financial losses by placing central bank funds in entities that later proved to be fictitious or financially distressed. Hanna was released after his Thursday hearing on $1 million bail.
Already facing prosecution in Lebanon over alleged embezzlement of Banque du Liban funds and the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by French authorities since 2023, Salameh was previously detained in Lebanon for a year before being released on bail. Those close to him say his health has significantly deteriorated since then.
