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
Israeli fire kills two in Gaza as truce deal moves to next phase
- Medics said two men were killed by Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis
- The two sides have traded blame over the truce violations
CAIRO: Israeli fire killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, health officials said, in the latest violence rattling a fragile ceasefire as Hamas and Israel looked to implement the second phase of the US-brokered Gaza peace plan.
Medics said two men were killed by Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis, in an area adjacent to where the army operates. The Israeli military told Reuters it wasn’t aware of any casualties as a result of Israeli fire on Thursday.
The Gaza health ministry said Israeli airstrikes, tank shelling and gunfire have killed at least 490 people since the truce took effect in October after two years of war that widely demolished the Palestinian enclave.
Israel said four soldiers have been killed by Palestinian militants in the small coastal territory over the same period.
The two sides have traded blame over the truce violations.
By advancing to phase two, the US and mediator partners Egypt and Qatar must confront the more contentious issue of Hamas disarmament, which the group has long rejected. The plan also calls for deploying an international peacekeeping force.
