Riad Salameh summoned in Lebanon embezzlement case

Lebanese judicial authorities issued a court summons on Thursday for former central bank governor Riad Salameh after he failed to appear at a hearing linked to an embezzlement complaint, a judicial source told AFP.

Salameh had been due in court over a complaint filed by new central bank governor Karim Soueid alleging embezzlement of institutional funds, illicit enrichment and money laundering.

The judicial source said the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation issued the summons and tasked an Internal Security Forces patrol with taking Salameh from his home to the Palace of Justice.

The central bank previously told AFP it was the victim of the embezzlement of several hundred million euros, allegedly committed at its expense by Salameh with the assistance of several people in his circle.

Salameh, 76, headed Lebanon's central bank from 1993 to July 2023 and has consistently denied wrongdoing despite multiple accusations at home and abroad.

An initial hearing was held at Salameh's home in June because of his deteriorating health. Samir Hanna, the former chief executive of one of Lebanon's leading banks, appeared in court in relation to the same case, the judicial source said.

Salameh was arrested in September 2024 and charged with alleged embezzlement of $44 million from the bank he oversaw. He was released a year later after posting bail of more than $14 million, but was barred from travelling.

French authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for Salameh. In May, the Swiss subsidiary of British bank HSBC was formally indicted in Paris, where investigators suspect it helped Salameh embezzle funds.