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The judicial source told Reuters that the indictment also includes accusations that Hanna bribed Salameh during his time as central bank governor. This development represents the first time a commercial banker has faced indictment in a financial crimes case linked to Salameh. Lebanese investigations into the former governor are expanding into the private sector as a result of the new charges.
Salameh headed the Lebanese Central Bank for three decades before his term ended in July 2023. He has already been indicted and arrested in Lebanon over other alleged financial crimes committed while in office and has denied any wrongdoing, according to Reuters. The former governor spent about 13 months in detention before his release in September following payment of more than $14 million in bail.
Salameh is currently in custody under medical supervision at a government hospital outside Beirut after missing a court hearing in the latest case. Hanna, who is 88 years old, paid $1 million in bail and remains free while financial investigations continue, the judicial source told Reuters. Current central bank governor Karim Souaid filed a criminal complaint in January against an unnamed former central bank official, a former banker and a lawyer over alleged illicit enrichment.
Accountability Now, a Swiss foundation that has investigated Salameh, posted on the social media platform X that the indictment covers suspected embezzlement of $154 million in 2010 and $102 million in 2012. The foundation said the case involves misuse of public funds routed through four offshore shell companies in the Cayman Islands. Souaid had earlier stated that the central bank lodged the complaint after identifying operations conducted via those entities.
Salameh did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters while Hanna could not be reached. The latest indictment builds on a series of legal actions against the former governor both domestically and overseas. Judicial authorities in France, Switzerland and Germany have pursued related investigations into Salameh’s financial activities in recent years.
Lebanon’s financial collapse that began in 2019 has drawn intense scrutiny to the central bank’s operations under Salameh’s long tenure. The crisis led to the country’s default on its debt and a severe contraction in the banking sector according to assessments by international financial institutions. Prosecutors have sought to hold accountable those responsible for practices that contributed to the economic meltdown over the past several years.
