Luxembourg Opens Criminal Case on CBL Governor Riad Salameh
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Luxembourg's judicial authorities open a criminal inquiry into Lebanon's Central Bank Governor following a series of previous investigations and cases in France and Switzerland.
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The Governor of Lebanon's Central Bank, Riad Salameh
Luxembourg judicial authorities announced on Monday that they have opened a criminal inquiry in relation to Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and his companies and assets, according to a judicial spokesperson.
A spokesperson for Lebanon's central bank however said the governor was not notified of any case against him in Luxembourg, declining to comment any further.
Salameh is already under at least two European investigations, including a Swiss inquiry opened in January over alleged "aggravated money laundering" at the Central Bank involving $300 million in gains by a company owned by Salameh's brother.
Moreover, French prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into money laundering allegations against Salameh in late May. Salameh's lawyer however denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated. Later in July, the prosecutors said the investigation was handed over to French anti-corruption courts.
Salameh has faced accusations of being a main actor in the collapse of Lebanon's financial system, considering he was the governor of the Central Bank for close to 28 years.
Switzerland's Money Laundering Reporting Office had monitored over $326 million in documents and money transfers linked to Riad Salameh and his brother Rajaa, done as a result of an agreement signed in 2002.
