The Beirut courthouse. (Archive photo: Philippe Hage Boutros/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — The prosecutor’s office at the Court of Cassation responded Wednesday, in a statement, to accusations of mistreatment made the previous day by Riad Salameh’s family against the judicial administration and security forces regarding the detention conditions of the former governor of Banque du Liban (BDL, central bank). The matter is related to a complaint about alleged dubious transactions during his 30-year tenure at the head of the institution.
The prosecutor’s office stated that it “wishes to reaffirm that the detainee receives all necessary means and equipment for his medical care and health services, with the aim of preserving the health of every detained person.” The statement added that “Riad Salameh is under permanent medical supervision, 24 hours a day, as confirmed by his personal doctor, who regularly visits him in detention. His last visit was last night,” referring to Tuesday evening.
The statement specified that “Salameh’s doctor thanked the authorities for the medical care and humane attention the detainee receives, contrary to the erroneous information contained in the statement attributed to his family.”
Initially detained at Roumieh prison by order of the public prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, Salameh was transferred Monday to the government hospital of Dahr al-Bashek. On Tuesday, his family reiterated its request to transfer the former governor to Bhannès hospital for health reasons, claiming that in his current place of detention, he is “chained and subjected to acts of humiliation” and that “his life is in danger.” A senior judicial source contacted Tuesday by L’Orient-Le Jour denied these accusations.
Salameh, who denies the accusations against him, was arrested Friday at Bhannès hospital. He went there after the prosecutor’s office, which was unable to confirm the medical reasons given to justify his absence at a hearing, issued a search warrant for him the previous day.
The complaint filed by the current BDL governor, Karim Souhaid, against Salameh and former Bank Audi CEO Samir Hanna, concerns central bank investments in companies guaranteed by Bank Audi shares, which allegedly resulted in significant losses after these entities turned out to be either fictitious or in financial difficulty.
The case files of Salameh and Samir Hanna were transferred Tuesday to the Beirut Court of Appeal prosecutor’s office. The general prosecutor at this court, Raja Hamoush, could receive them Wednesday or, at the latest, Thursday.
