BREAKING

Lebanese authorities notified of Germany's red notice for Salameh

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 May 2023 23:26

Lebanese authorities announce that the German Ambassador to Lebanon notified them that Germany has issued a red notice for the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh.

Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's Central Bank, speaks during a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 11, 2019. (AP)

The Lebanese authorities, on Tuesday, announced that Germany issued a red notice for Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh.

Lebanese Justice Minister Henry Khoury said, in a statement, that German Ambassador Andreas Kindl notified him of the red notice issued by Germany during a meeting between the two officials.

Last Tuesday, May 23, Lebanon was verbally informed by Germany of an arrest warrant against Salameh "on charges of corruption, forgery... and money laundry and embezzlement."

On May 24, a Lebanese judge banned the country's central bank chief Riad Salameh from traveling.

The judge questioned Salameh and "decided to release him pending investigation, ban him from traveling, and confiscate his Lebanese and French passports," an official said as quoted by AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Lebanese CB Governor, #RiadSalameh, is being investigated in Lebanon and at least 5 European countries for embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from #Lebanon's central bank as Lebanon currently deals with one of the world's worst economic crises of the past 2 centuries. pic.twitter.com/RAaGCdf58F
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 24, 2023

The Lebanese judge on Wednesday also called on the French judiciary to refer Salameh's file to Beirut in order to "determine whether the Lebanese judiciary will prosecute him for the crimes he is accused of in France or not," the official added.

In this context, senior judicial sources told Al Mayadeen, "Lebanon does not extradite its nationals to other countries, even in the presence of bilateral treaties."

The sources further confirmed that Lebanon adheres to Article 30, appended to Article 17 of the Penal Code, which stipulates that a Lebanese national should only be tried in Lebanon.

Interpol issued the red notice last week after a French court issued a warrant for Salameh.

An Interpol red notice is not an international arrest order, but it requests that suspects be detained indefinitely pending extradition or other legal processes.