Embezzlement, illicit enrichment, forgery: What are the charges against former minister Amine Salam and his brother?

BEIRUT — The first investigative judge of Beirut, Roula Osman, issued her indictment Thursday against the former minister of Economy Amine Salam, his brother Karim, and Elie Abboud, who headed the syndicate of certified accountants, for embezzlement of funds, waste of public funds, forgery and use of forged documents, blackmail, bribery, and illicit enrichment. The judge requested that they be referred to the criminal court.

Salam is notably suspected of having signed contracts with foreign companies for exorbitant amounts compared to the services provided to the Ministry of Economy, and of having used, for personal purposes, funds from the insurance companies’ contributions fund, which was under his supervision. Salam had repeatedly rejected these accusations, stating in May 2025 to L’Orient-Le Jour that these funds "were allocated to the payment of the salaries of ministry employees," in a context of financial crisis since October 2019.

Because the suspicions pertain to criminal acts, the case must first go automatically to the indictment chamber, which, according to the Salam brothers’ lawyer, Samer Hajj, will decide either on a dismissal — meaning they would not be referred to the criminal court — or on upholding some or all of the charges and sending them to the criminal court.

Salam was held in pretrial detention between June and December 2025, before being released on bail equivalent to $100,000. His brother was arrested in April 2025 and referred to the Beirut criminal court for blackmail against an insurance company. The court agreed, in December, to release him while continuing the trial, which has not yet concluded. His current involvement concerns the broader case on the charges mentioned above.

A fourth defendant, Fadi Tamim, an adviser to Salam, was granted dismissal by Osman, but the prosecution has appealed the magistrate’s decision. His fate will be decided by the indictment chamber.

Détournement, enrichissement illicite, faux : quelles accusations contre l'ex-ministre Amine Salam et son frère ?