Today, Tuesday, the Lebanese judiciary approved the release of the former governor of Lebanon, Riyad Salama, who was arrested for a year on charges of embezzlement of public funds and forgery, in exchange for a huge financial guarantee of more than 20 million dollars, in addition to 5 billion Lebanese pounds, while preventing him from traveling for a year starting from the date of the implementation of the decision, according to a judicial source.
The guarantee is the highest in the history of the Lebanese judiciary
The judicial source explained that the accusation committee chaired by Judge Nassib Elijah issued a decision to evacuate the way, indicating that his implementation is conditional on paying the financial guarantee. A second judicial source considered that the guarantee “is the highest in the history of the Lebanese judiciary”, while Salama’s lawyer, Mark Hobeqa, described the guarantee as “exorbitant and illegal”, stressing that he will discuss with his client the upcoming legal steps.
Issues related to embezzlement and illicit enrichment
The decision relates to the claim of “embezzlement” of $ 44 million of the money of the Bank of Lebanon and “illegal enrichment”, as the judiciary had issued an accusation of Salama in April. The judicial source indicated that Salama also obtained last month of release decisions in two separate cases.
The health situation and motives for the release decision
According to the second source, approval to evacuate the way took into account the health status of safety. He added that he was scheduled to be released automatically on the fourth of next September, with the end of the reserve detention period without trial. So far, no judicial ruling has been issued against him in open cases.
Safety between international investigations and accusations
Since the outbreak of the unprecedented economic crisis in Lebanon in 2019, Salama has been a hub for local and international investigations on illegal corruption and wealth suspicions. European investigators suspect that he has accumulated with his brother Raja real estate and illegal banking, taking advantage of his position in the ruler of the Bank of Lebanon.
From political protection to international sanctions
Despite the accusations, Salama remained in office until the end of his term in July 2023, taking advantage of political protection provided by influential local forces. But international pressure has escalated with the imposition of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom sanctions on the safety and members of his family, which included freezing their financial and real estate assets in these countries, against the backdrop of widespread suspicions of corruption.
