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Munich Prosecutors Seek Permanent Forfeiture of €35 Million Linked to Riad Salameh

Prosecutors aim to convert previously confiscated German assets into permanent forfeiture.

Overview

  • The Munich I public prosecutor filed the application in January with the Munich I regional court to keep assets worth about €35 million.
  • The request covers already seized commercial properties in Munich and Hamburg and shares in a Düsseldorf real-estate company.
  • The underlying criminal proceedings were provisionally discontinued because the accused and other suspects could not be located.
  • A trial in Germany can proceed only if the suspects voluntarily appear, as Lebanon does not extradite its nationals.
  • Investigators say roughly $330 million was allegedly embezzled and funneled via a British Virgin Islands shell company into European property deals, with German teams traveling to Lebanon to question the accused, his brother, and witnesses including the then finance minister.