Judge Aoun Issues Subpoena for Riad Salameh

Mount Lebanon Attorney General Judge Ghada Aoun on Tuesday issued a subpoena for Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, LBCI television reported.

“The subpoena was referred to the State Security agency for implementation, after Salameh failed to show up for the third time for interrogation in the lawsuit filed by the People Want to Reform the System group,” the TV network added.

The judge had recently issued a travel ban and an assets freeze against Salameh.

The lawsuit accuses the governor of "illicit enrichment, money laundering and squandering public funds on personal benefits."

Salameh, one of the world's longest-serving central bank governors, is also facing judicial investigations in France, Switzerland and other European countries on suspicion of money laundering and illicit enrichment, among other allegations.

Salameh has recently dismissed the cases against him as unfounded and lacking in evidence, claiming they were opened based on complaints filed by Lebanese citizens "for reasons that could be political... or tied to certain interests."

He said that a top-tier financial audit firm had scrutinized his accounts at his request and presented him with a report that he then submitted to officials and judges.

"I am ready to cooperate with all investigations," he said, claiming they were based on "fabricated evidence" that made it seem as though he "took all of Lebanon's money and pocketed it."