A Lebanese judge issued – today, Tuesday, a new judicial decision related to the charges against the former governor of Lebanon, Riyad Salama, with embezzlement of public funds, which paves the way for his conviction, according to Reuters.
Judge Bilal Halawi issued a decision based on a presumption that concluded that Salama made a “illegal enrichment” by transferring money with his knowledge
From the central bank to special accounts.
Salama served as the governor of the Central Bank for 30 years before his term ended, described as shameful in July 2023.
The Safety Media Office said that the decision was issued as a result of a file that was prepared in a hurry, and a major legal defect was similar.
Salama – who was arrested in September and is still imprisoned – denied all the charges against him, most notably the contracts concluded between the Bank of Lebanon and the “Optimum” company in terms of buying and selling treasury bonds and certificates of deposit in the lira and the company obtaining commissions, according to Lebanese media.
It is noteworthy that the United States, Britain and Canada imposed in August last year economic sanctions on safety on charges of financial corruption to achieve wealth for itself and its partners. The American ministry said that the safety of “misunderstood its position in power”, “to enrich itself and its partners by transferring hundreds of millions of dollars, through fake companies to invest in the European real estate sector.”
Riad Salama is one of the tallest rulers of central banks in the world, and many Lebanese hold him responsible for the financial collapse that began in 2019, while Salama says that it is a scapegoat for this collapse, which followed the practices of corruption and waste of spending for decades of the ruling elite.
