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Lebanon’s former central bank governor ‘arrested in Beirut’

By Reuters
Riad Salameh was governor of Lebanon's central bank for three decades Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Riad Salameh was governor of Lebanon's central bank for three decades

The former governor of Lebanon’s central bank, Riad Salameh, was arrested on Tuesday after a hearing in Beirut, a senior judicial source has told Reuters.

Salameh has been charged with financial crimes including money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. He has denied all wrongdoing.

Neither he nor his lawyer immediately responded to Reuters’ attempts to reach them for comment.

The judicial source told the news agency that Salameh had been arrested at Lebanon’s justice palace following a hearing about the central bank’s dealings with Optimum Invest – a Lebanese business that offers income brokerage services, according to its website.

The source said Optimum had worked with Lebanon’s central bank to buy and sell treasury bonds and certificates of deposit in Lebanese pounds.

Optimum did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

An undated statement on its website said a financial audit had found “no evidence of wrongdoing or illegality” in the company’s dealings with the central bank.

Salameh, 73, was central bank governor for 30 years until July 2023.

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