Judge Aoun wants Salameh to appear before her Wednesday

Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Friday called for detained former Central Bank chief Riad Salameh to appear before her on Wednesday, holding State Prosecutor Judge Jammal al-Jarrah responsible should security forces fail to bring Salameh to the hearing session.

“I reiterate that the Optimum file has been open at the Public Prosecution Office of Mount Lebanon since the issuance of the Capital Markets Authority report around two years ago, and it is also based on the complaint stemming from the Alvarez & Marsal report,” Aoun said in an X post.

“In September 2023, MP Elias Jradi and around 10 lawyers filed a complaint before in which they personally sued Salameh and others. Accordingly why now and what is the reason behind this awakening?” Aoun wondered.

“Anyhow let’s be positive. I was certainly surprised but I was also pleased by the arrest of former Central Bank chief Riad Salameh, after I had repeatedly filed lawsuits against him in major files and issued dozens of warrants for security agencies to bring him to no avail. The question remains why now, after my investigation made major progress,” she added.

“I’m a judge, I work according to the law and I warn everyone that no one has the right under the law to withdraw any file from me under the excuse of him opening the same file and referring it to another judge,” Aoun went on to say.

She added: “I have set a date of Wednesday, September 11 for the interrohation of Salameh in this file and in other files. He is now present in the jail of the Justice Palace and he must be brought to appear before me.”

Salameh was on Wednesday charged with the embezzlement of $42 million. The former governor, 73, was charged by the Financial Public Prosecution a day after he was detained following an interrogation by Lebanon's top public prosecutor over several alleged financial crimes.

His case has been transferred to an investigating judge.

Salameh has for years denied allegations of corruption, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. He insists that his wealth comes from inherited properties, investments and his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch.

During his hours-long interrogation on Monday, Salameh was asked about a key case in which a company was allegedly hired to manipulate statements and conceal Lebanon's hemorrhaging finances.

According to two judicial officials, Salameh appeared to have brought in the company, called Optimum, to help facilitate embezzling money from the central bank through other accounts, eventually reaching his own.

The financial intelligence unit of the central bank presented bank statements and financial documents to the public prosecution, added the two officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The embattled Salameh is also in the midst of several other cases against him, both locally and internationally.

France, Germany, and Luxembourg are also investigating Salameh and close associates over alleged illicit enrichment and the laundering of $330 million.

Salameh has criticized the European investigation and said it was part of a media and political campaign make him a scapegoat.

Meanwhile, the U.S., the UK, and Canada have sanctioned Salameh and his close associates, and France issued an international arrest warrant for him, though Lebanon does not hand over its own citizens for extradition.