FILE PHOTO: Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during an interview for Reuters Next conference, in Beirut, Lebanon November 23, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
March 21, 2022
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Lebanese judge charged central bank governor Riad Salameh with illicit enrichment on Monday, the judge told Reuters, days after she ordered his brother Raja arrested in the same case.
Judge Ghada Aoun said Riad Salameh, governor for nearly three decades, had not attended a hearing scheduled for Monday, and she had charged him in absentia.
She said the charge related to the purchase and rental of Paris apartments, including some to the central bank, Aoun told Reuters.
Reuters could not immediately reach Riad Salameh for comment on Monday.
On Friday, Raja Salameh’s lawyer said allegations of illicit enrichment and money laundering against his client were unfounded, calling the evidence “media speculation without any evidence”.
(Reporting by Timour Azhari; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Source: One America News Network
