Attack on the house of the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon to arrest him

According to Fars News Agency’s International Group, a judicially informed source and a security source said that Lebanese government security forces raided the home of Central Bank Governor Riyad Salameh on Tuesday night in order to carry out a judicial summons.

“Judge Ghada Aoun issued the summons in February after Salameh did not appear for questioning as part of an investigation into allegations of misconduct and corruption,” the sources told Reuters.

Lebanese security forces must arrest Riyadh Salameh and take him to the prosecutor’s office, according to a ruling issued by the Lebanese Jabal district attorney general.

Last March, the judge accused Riyadh of embezzling illicit money after accusing Salameh’s younger brother of money laundering.

The governor of the Lebanese Central Bank had previously denied any wrongdoing and described the investigation against him in Lebanon and abroad as politically motivated.

This is the second attempt by Lebanese security forces to arrest Riyad Salameh. In mid-February, the Lebanese security apparatus went to Salameh’s office at the Central Bank and several private places related to him, and tried to arrest him, but to no avail.

His brother, Raja Salameh, was also detained for two months and released on $ 3.7 million bail on May 12. Like his brother, he denies the allegations.

Corruption cases are open in Lebanon, as well as in France, Luxembourg, Germany and other countries, where he was accused of embezzling more than $ 300 million from the Lebanese Central Bank last year.

The escalation of the economic crisis in Lebanon and the sharp fall of the lira have intensified the attack on the head of the country’s central bank, and some media outlets have reported that Salameh has implemented the US decision to collapse the economy in Lebanon.

Many Lebanese political officials, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab, blamed Salameh’s monetary policy for much of the financial woes, including a 90 percent devaluation of the national currency.

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