Consulting account: Salameh invokes amnesty to evade ‘theft’ charges

At a hearing held on Thursday before the Beirut Criminal Court, presided over by Samir Akiki, Marc Habka, the lawyer representing former Banque du Liban (BDL) governor Riad Salameh, argued that one of the offenses Salameh is accused of in the “consulting account” case — namely “theft”— is covered by the amnesty law, as it is not classified as a corruption offense. Speaking to L’Orient-Le Jour, a source close to the case said that, in January, the Beirut Indictment Chamber accused Salameh of having “appropriated money or other state assets under his administration.” Zoom out Amnesty law, BDL, Sleiman al-Assad and cocaine: Where do Lebanon’s key legal cases stand? The defense argues that the act therefore amounts to “theft,” an offense covered by the amnesty law, the source said.However, while theft is covered by the amnesty law, the...