Overview
- Lebanese judges on Monday formally charged former central bank governor Riad Salameh and ex-Bank Audi chief Samir Hanna with embezzlement, illicit enrichment and bribery, expanding the legal files against Salameh.
- Prosecutors say the case accuses the men of funneling tens of millions from the Banque du Liban into fictitious companies and using those funds to buy shares and bonds from commercial banks in fraudulent deals.
- This is the first time a commercial banker has been indicted in cases linked to Salameh, and Hanna paid $1 million bail so he is not in custody while investigations continue.
- Salameh remains in custody under medical supervision at a government hospital after missing a hearing; he has denied wrongdoing and was previously held for about 13 months before a large bail release last year.
- The indictment references alleged offshore structures in the Cayman Islands and cites specific suspected losses for 2010 and 2012, and separate probes in France, Switzerland and Germany are still active.