Lebanon indicts ex-central bank chief Salameh and Bank Audi head Hanna over alleged financial crimes

Lebanese judicial authorities have indicted former central bank governor Riad Salameh and Samir Hanna, the former head of Bank Audi, for alleged financial crimes including embezzlement and illicit enrichment. The charges, reported by Reuters and AFP on Monday, allege that the two men misappropriated tens of millions of dollars from the Banque du Liban.

This development marks the first instance of a commercial banker being charged in connection with Salameh’s legal cases. Judicial sources indicate that the indictment includes allegations that Hanna bribed Salameh during his tenure as governor, signalling an expansion of the state’s investigations into the private sector.

Salameh, who served as central bank governor from 1993 to July 2023, is currently under medical supervision at a government hospital outside Beirut. He was placed in custody last month after missing a hearing related to the case. Hanna, aged 88, has been released on $1 million bail while financial investigations continue.

The indictment adds to the legal challenges facing Salameh, who has already been indicted and arrested in Lebanon over other alleged financial crimes committed during his three-decade leadership of the central bank. He has consistently denied wrongdoing, asserting that he is being used as a scapegoat for the country’s broader economic crisis.

Salameh was previously detained for approximately 13 months before being released in September after paying a record bail of more than $14 million. He also faces separate investigations in France, Switzerland, and Germany.

In January, current central bank governor Karim Souaid filed a criminal complaint against an unnamed former official, a former banker, and a lawyer. The complaint alleged illicit enrichment through the misuse of public funds via offshore shell companies in the Cayman Islands, though specific details regarding those entities were not disclosed.