Legal sources in Lebanon have considered the matter “a violation of sovereignty”.
Judicial delegations from several European countries are expected to arrive in the Lebanese capital (Beirut) at the beginning of the new year, to investigate with the governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, and bank officials, the pending financial corruption files before the judicial authorities of These countries.
An important Lebanese judicial source revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, was informed that the delegations would arrive from France, Germany, Luxembourg and Great Britain, and would arrive in Beirut later, between 9 and 20 January next .
He said the delegations “will include prosecutors, investigative judges, financial prosecutors, police officers and possibly court presidents, to conduct interrogations that include the central governor and senior officials of the Banque du Liban, as well as the owners and directors of some Lebanese banks, and the investigation focuses on the judicial archives of these countries.” In particular with regard to financial transfers from Lebanon to the banks of the aforementioned countries, identifying the sources of funds and the entity to which they are linked to corruption and money laundering operations.
Lebanese legal sources have considered that what is happening “constitutes a dangerous precedent and an explicit violation of Lebanese law, incompatible with the applicable legislation, and a violation of national sovereignty”.
The sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the conduct of any investigation on Lebanese territory is the exclusive competence of the Lebanese judiciary, and the law does not allow a foreign authority to investigate any file pending in Lebanon, except under of a judicial warrant, which Lebanese judges have exclusively the right to execute and question in it.” In the presence of the judges of the deputy State.
And he asked: “If these countries wanted to interrogate Salama and his comrades in pending cases with them, why weren’t they summoned to Europe? Does this mean exercising guardianship over the Lebanese judiciary?
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