Lebanon judge orders arrest of ex-central bank chief: official

A Lebanese judge Monday issued an arrest warrant for ex-central bank chief Riad Salameh, a judicial official said, after the embattled former governor was questioned in an embezzlement case.

Salameh, 74, who headed the central bank for three decades, faces numerous charges including embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion in separate probes in crisis-hit Lebanon and abroad.

The most senior Lebanese figure to be arrested in the wake of the country's dramatic economic collapse in 2019, Salameh has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The investigating judge questioned Salameh for two and a half hours and "issued an arrest warrant against him", the official told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media.

The judge scheduled another hearing Thursday to continue questioning Salameh, the official said.

The warrant, a procedural formality, ends his provisional detention and places him under formal arrest, the official added, with the measure indicating the judge's suspicions against Salameh had "strengthened".

On Tuesday last week, Lebanese authorities for the first time provisionally arrested Salameh after questioning over the alleged embezzlement of more than $40 million, another judicial had told AFP.

The official said at the time that the case was "completely separate" from others being investigated.

The following day, Lebanon's financial prosecutor initiated legal proceedings against Salameh over allegations of "embezzling" public funds, as well as "illicit enrichment and money laundering", and the case was referred to the investigating judge, the same official told AFP.

In a statement on Friday carried by Lebanon's official National News Agency, Salameh's office said he had cooperated with the Lebanese judiciary "before and after finishing his official duties" and "has continued with this cooperation since his detention".

- 'Thief' -

Salameh, who also has French nationality, is widely viewed as a key culprit in Lebanon's economic crash, which the World Bank has called one of the worst in recent history.

A handful of protesters gathered outside Beirut's justice palace on Monday, some trying to attack a convoy of vehicles transporting Salameh as he arrived, hitting the windows and yelling "Riad Salameh is a thief," an AFP correspondent said.

Unemployed protester Simon al-Barrak, among many Lebanese who have been unable to access their savings since late 2019, said his money had been "stolen".

"We're here in support of a clean justice system," he said, in a country known for its history of official impunity.

"It's not just Riad Salameh we want to see in prison," he added, accusing the political class broadly for the economic collapse.

After Monday's questioning, Salameh was returned to the jail where he has been detained in recent days, the first judicial official said, adding he was being held in an individual cell in "good conditions".

In May last year, Germany and France issued arrest warrants for Salameh over accusations including money laundering and fraud, though German prosecutors later cancelled their warrant, saying Salameh could no longer use his post to suppress evidence.

In August last year, the United States announced coordinated sanctions with Canada and Britain against Salameh.

Salameh, who left office at the end of July last year, has repeatedly said his wealth comes from private investment and his previous work at US investment firm Merrill Lynch.

He has defended his legacy, saying he is a "scapegoat" for Lebanon's economic collapse.