Lebanon top judge raids Central Bank in search of chief
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Mount Lebanon's state prosecutor, Judge Ghada Aoun, raids the Lebanese Central Bank with the intention of arresting Central Bank Chief Riad Salameh.
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Judge Ghada Aoun near the Lebanese Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon, July 19, 2022
Mount Lebanon's state prosecutor, Judge Ghada Aoun, entered the Lebanese Central Bank on Tuesday, carrying out a judicial order in search of Banque du Liban's governor, Riad Salameh.
"I am in the Lebanese Central Bank in the implementation of a judicial order," Judge Aoun told Al Mayadeen from the bank's premises. "We carried out a judicial order to evacuate the Central Bank's premises."
Lebanese security forces took to the vicinity of the bank and blocked off all of its entrances, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Beirut reported.
A source said that were they to find BDL governor Riad Salameh in the building, he would have been arrested. However, Judge Aoun said after leaving the bank that he was not on the premises.
The Lebanese General Security Forces had raided one of Salameh's homes in June at the order of Judge Aoun and due to a subpoena issued against him over corruption charges and economic mismanagement, as well as being behind actions linked to the Lebanese financial crisis.
State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat wrapped up the preliminary investigation related to Riad Salameh's case, and he referred the case to the Public Prosecution in Beirut, an official in the Lebanese judiciary said. "Judge Oueidat demanded that Riad Salameh, his brother Raja, the director of his office, Marianne Hoywayek, and others be prosecuted."
The official clarified that the demand came over suspicion of the individuals' involvement in embezzlement of public funds, forgery and money laundering, smuggling of funds, tax evasion, and illicit enrichment.
