BEIRUT: Former Lebanese central bank chief Riad Salameh, who was arrested on Tuesday over alleged financial crimes, will remain in detention until a hearing is scheduled, likely next week, two judicial sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
After Salameh is interrogated, the presiding judge can decide whether to keep him in detention, the sources said, adding that no decision had yet been taken on the matter. One of them said the judge was expected to schedule a hearing for early next week.
Reuters could not immediately reach Salameh’s lawyer for comment.
Salameh, 73, was the bank governor for 30 years but his final years were marred by the collapse of Lebanon’s financial system along with charges of financial crimes, including illicit enrichment through public funds, by authorities in Lebanon and several Western countries.
Two judicial sources told Reuters on Tuesday that Salameh had been held on charges of accruing more than $110 million via financial crimes involving Optimum Invest, a Lebanese firm that offers income brokerage services.
The authorities have not published the charges against him.
Neither Salameh nor his lawyer responded to requests for comment on Tuesday. Salameh has previously denied all accusations of financial crimes.
Tuesday’s charges are separate from previous charges of financial crimes linked to Forry Associates, a company controlled by Salameh’s brother, Raja. The brothers — who deny any wrongdoing — were accused of using Forry to divert $330 million in public funds through commissions.
Lebanon’s Salameh to remain in detention until hearing is scheduled, sources say
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Lebanon’s Salameh to remain in detention until hearing is scheduled, sources say
- After Salameh is interrogated, the presiding judge can decide whether to keep him in detention, the sources said
- The judge was expected to schedule a hearing for early next week
Angelina Jolie visits Egyptian side of Gaza’s Rafah crossing
- The Hollywood star spoke with members of the Red Crescent and truck drivers ferrying humanitarian aid
- Volunteer tells the actor there are 'thousands of aid trucks just waiting' to enter the territory
RAFAH, Egypt: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie on Friday visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza, where she spoke with members of the Red Crescent and truck drivers ferrying humanitarian aid, AFP journalists said.
Accompanied by an American delegation and greeted by former and current officials, Jolie said she was “honored” to meet aid volunteers at the crossing.
A Red Crescent volunteer told the Oscar winner that “there are thousands of aid trucks just waiting” at the border crossing.
According to local media, the actor and former special envoy for the UN refugee agency made the visit to see the condition of injured Palestinians transferred to Egypt and to look into aid deliveries into the devastated territory.
Jolie and the Egyptian authorities have yet to officially comment on the visit.
The Rafah border crossing was set to be reopened under the ceasefire in effect in Gaza since October, but has so far remained closed.
In a joint statement on Friday, Egypt and six other countries including Saudi Arabia “urged the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift the constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies” to Gaza.
In early December, Israel announced that the Rafah crossing would be opened only for those wishing to leave Gaza, prompting Cairo to swiftly deny that it had approved such a move.
Jolie, one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures, stepped down from her role as special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency at the end of 2022 after more than 20 years of service, saying she wanted to work on broader humanitarian issues.
