Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salamé to resign if convicted

2023-05-18T21:08:21.035Z

Highlights: Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salamé said he would resign from his post if a judgment was taken against him. He is being prosecuted in Lebanon and several European countries on suspicion of illicit enrichment and embezzlement amounting to up to $330 million. On Thursday, ten deputies from the protest demanded his dismissal, judging "shameful" the lack of responsiveness of the Lebanese state. The deputy prime minister in charge of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Saadé Chami, was the only senior official to call for his resignation.

Reacting for the first time since the issuance of an international arrest warrant against him, the governor of the Bank of Lebanon Riad Salamé said he would resign from his post if a judgment was issued...

Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salamé to resign if convicted

Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salamé in Beirut on December 20, 2021. © JOSEPH EID/AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Reacting for the first time since the issuance of an international arrest warrant against him, Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salamé said he would resign from his post if a judgment was taken against him.

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With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh

In an interview with the pan-Arab channel al-Hadath on Thursday, Riad Salame "advised the judiciary to start with politicians and not the governor of the Central Bank". "They are targeting the governor because they are afraid of politicians," he said.

The words of the boss of the Bank of Lebanon come as voices calling for his departure multiply. On Thursday, ten deputies from the protest demanded his dismissal, judging "shameful" the lack of responsiveness of the Lebanese state. The deputy prime minister in charge of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Saadé Chami, was the only senior official to call for Riad Salamé's resignation. Embarrassed, the head of government, Nagib Mikati, remained silent. His circles affirm that justice must take its course.

She also decided this Thursday in one of the episodes involving Riad Salamé. An investigative judge in Beirut rejected appeals by the governor's lawyers and allowed the state to bring a civil action against him. This judicial approach will allow the State to assert its rights to recover the funds squandered in the event of the conviction of Riad Salamé in Lebanon or elsewhere. Riad Salamé is being prosecuted in Lebanon and several European countries on suspicion of illicit enrichment and embezzlement amounting to up to $330 million.

Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salamé to resign if convicted

Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salamé to resign if convicted

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