Lebanon imposes travel ban on central bank governor

By Wasim Seif El-Din

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – Lebanon on Wednesday imposed a travel ban on Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh following a French arrest warrant against him over corruption charges.

Salameh, 72, was questioned by Imad Qabalan, general prosecutor at the Lebanese Court of Cassation, before being released pending investigation, according to the private Al Jadeed TV channel.

Qabalan also confiscated Salameh’s Lebanese and French passports.

Last week, a French investigative judge issued an international arrest warrant, followed by an Interpol red notice, for Salameh after he failed to show up in Paris for questioning.

The charges against the bank governor are related to the misappropriation of more than $330 million from the Banque du Liban through a contract awarded to Raja Salameh.

During Wednesday’s questioning, Salameh denied all the accusations against him, describing the French arrest warrant as “illegal”, the private MTV Lebanon channel reported.

Several Lebanese parties blame the bank governor for the collapse of the nation’s currency.

Lebanon has been plagued by a crippling economic crisis since 2019 that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi