Lebanon subpoenas ex‑central bank chief Riad Salameh over alleged embezzlement
BEIRUT: Lebanese judicial authorities issued a court summons on Thursday for former Central Bank governor Riad Salameh after he failed to appear at a hearing over an embezzlement complaint, a judicial source told AFP. Salameh led the central bank from 1993 to July 2023 and was widely suspected of aiding large transfers of funds abroad by the political elite during the mass protests that began in October 2019. Despite numerous accusations at home and abroad, the 76‑year‑old has maintained his innocence.
He was scheduled to appear in court in connection with a complaint filed by new governor Karim Soueid, alleging embezzlement of institutional funds, illicit enrichment and money laundering. However, Salameh did not show up for the hearing on Thursday.
“The Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation issued a court summons and tasked an Internal Security Forces patrol with apprehending him at his home and escorting him to the Palace of Justice,” the judicial source said.
The central bank earlier told AFP that it was “the victim of the embezzlement of funds amounting to several hundred million euros, committed at its expense by its former governor, Mr. Riad Salameh, with the assistance of several individuals in his circle.”
The initial hearing, held in June at Salameh’s residence due to his declining health, was presided over by a judge. The former CEO of a leading Lebanese bank, Samir Hanna, did appear in court in relation to the same case, according to the judicial source.
Salameh is accused by critics of being a key figure behind Lebanon’s financial collapse. He was arrested in September 2024 on charges of allegedly embezzling $44 million from the institution he oversaw. He was released a year later after posting a record bail of over $14 million, but remains barred from international travel. A French‑issued international arrest warrant has been in effect against him since May 2023. In May, the Swiss subsidiary of the British bank HSBC was formally indicted in Paris, with investigators suspecting it facilitated Salameh’s alleged embezzlement.
