A French judge issues an international arrest warrant against the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh [فرانس برس]
The French judge in charge of investigating the funds and property of Central Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salameh in Europe issued an international arrest warrant against him on Tuesday, after he was absent from his interrogation session before her in Paris, AFP learned from a source familiar with the file.
In early April, Judge Aude Borezi summoned Salameh to appear before her on May 16 for a hearing during which he was likely to be charged. His lawyer told AFP that Salameh’s absence on Tuesday was due to his failure to inform him of the obligation to appear before the French judiciary in accordance with the rules.
And France Press reported yesterday, Monday, that the Lebanese judiciary failed to inform the Governor of the Banque du Liban, in accordance with the rules, that he must appear before the judiciary in Paris, according to a prominent judicial official, which explains his refusal to attend the interrogation session that was scheduled for today.
On Monday, Salama’s agents also submitted requests to the Lebanese judiciary to suspend cooperation with European investigations and to suffice with the local investigation, which is taking place mainly against the backdrop of European investigations into money laundering and embezzlement cases.
While they were in Lebanon, French judges asked their Lebanese counterparts to inform Salameh of his summons to appear before them in Paris.
The judicial official said that last week, a security patrol went for four consecutive days to the Banque du Liban building to inform Salameh of “the date of his interrogation session scheduled before Judge Aud Bourizi on Tuesday in Paris, but they did not find him.”
And each time, according to the judicial official, the bank’s security official would inform the patrol that the governor was not there.
After it was not possible to inform Salama, the investigating judge in Beirut, Charbel Abu Samra, will write to the French judge to inform her.
2023-05-16 14:08:16
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