Lebanon Central Bank Governor banned from travelling
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A Lebanese prosecutor issues a travel ban against the country's Central Bank Governor following a lawsuit filed by an activist group over financial misconduct.
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Salameh is among the top Lebanese officials widely blamed for an unprecedented financial crisis.
Lebanese judge and Mount Lebanon's State Prosecutor Ghada Aoun issued Tuesday a travel ban against the country's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh over a lawsuit accusing him of financial misconduct.
A judicial source told AFP the ban is pursuant to a lawsuit filed by an activist group against Salameh over alleged financial misconduct.
"The decision came after she questioned a number of senior central bank employees," the source added.
Aoun has summoned Salameh for questioning over the case, but the exact date of the session has yet to be publicly disclosed, the source added.
أصدرت القاضية غادة عون مذكرة منع سفر بحرا و برا وجوا بحق حاكم مصرف لبنان رياض سلامة، وذلك بناءً على شكوى مقدمة من الدائرة القانونية لمجموعة الشعب يريد إصلاح النظام، ممثلة بالمحاميين هيثم عزو وبيار الجميل.#يسقط_حكم_المصرف pic.twitter.com/2feaLdrDXU
— سحر حسين غدار (@sahar_ghaddar) January 11, 2022
Fraud, money laundering, and illicit enrichment
Salameh is among the top Lebanese officials widely blamed for an unprecedented financial crisis that the World Bank says is of a scale usually associated with wars.
He is the target of a series of judicial investigations both at home and abroad on suspicion of fraud, money laundering, and illicit enrichment, among other allegations.
Lebanon opened a local probe into Salameh's wealth last year after the Swiss attorney general requested assistance in an investigation into more than $300 million which Salameh allegedly took out of the central bank with the help of his brother Raja.
Salameh has repeatedly denied the charges.
It is noteworthy that Luxembourg's judicial authorities opened a criminal inquiry into Salameh, his companies, and assets.
In addition, French prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into money laundering allegations against Salameh in late May 2021.
