ALBAWABA - Riad Salameh, the recently arrested former governor of Lebanon's central bank, has been charged by judicial authorities of accumulating more than 110 million dollars through financial crimes involving Optimum Invest, according to two individuals who spoke to Reuters.
Salameh has been accused of committing a number of financial offenses, including embezzlement, money laundering, and illegal enrichment. He claims that he has done nothing wrong.
According to judiciary officials who spoke to AFP and Reuters, Salameh underwent questioning for a period of three hours over the possibility of theft from the central bank amounting to more than forty million dollars via commissions made through the central bank's dealings with the Lebanese business Optimum Invest between the years of 2015 and 2018.
This is the first time that Salameh has come before the judicial system of Lebanon since he resigned from his position at the end of July of the previous year without a replacement taking after, according to Al Jazeera.
Salameh served as the governor of the Banque du Liban, the country's central bank, for a period of thirty years. However, his last months were tarnished by claims of financial offenses carried out by authorities in Lebanon and numerous other countries.
In a statement, the Lebanese authorities said that Salameh was sent to a higher-security jail by the Internal Security Forces of Lebanon, but did not give any other information. It is anticipated that he will continue to be held in jail while he is being questioned.
