Reuters, citing 4 sources, said that Britain's National Crime Agency is studying a report submitted to it by a legal institution in London, accusing Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and his associates of money laundering and corrupt practices.
The 76-page report, seen by Reuters, reveals what it says are assets, companies and investment tools in Britain worth hundreds of millions of pounds, and claims that Salama, his family and people connected to him have used them for years to transfer money outside Lebanon.
For his part, Salameh - who has been governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon since 1993 - said in an interview to Reuters that he had read a copy of the report, describing it as part of a smear campaign and saying that the allegations contained therein were false.
The Lebanese financial and political elite has become the focus of criticism and accusations related to corruption, mismanagement and obstruction of efforts to enable the country to obtain international aid, especially since the bombing of the Beirut port 8 months ago, as Lebanon is plunging into an ever deeper crisis.
Reuters quoted two sources as saying that the "Guernica 37" legal firm in London had submitted the aforementioned report to the British police late last year.
The two sources added that the report - which was prepared on behalf of a group of Lebanese civil society figures abroad - was then transmitted to the National Crime Agency.
For his part, a spokesperson for the agency said, "We can confirm that we have received this report, but we are not in a position to provide further comment."
Two sources indicated that the agency's financial investigation unit is conducting what is known as scoping, which is a form of preliminary investigation to see if there are sufficient grounds to initiate a formal investigation.
Investigation Series
The "Guernica 37" report is one of several investigations currently underway or being prepared in Europe against officials in the financial sector and the political class in Lebanon.
In January, the Swiss Attorney General's office said it had requested legal assistance from the Lebanese authorities regarding an investigation into "widespread money laundering" and possible fraud related to the Central Bank of Lebanon.
For his part, Toby Cadman, co-founder of "Guernica 37", said that his foundation's report is one of a number of legal cases it has prepared in relation to Lebanon, to present it to the British authorities.
"Our intention is to search, investigate and expose all the main pillars of alleged corruption in the country," he added.
The Lebanese banking system is at the heart of the financial crisis that erupted in the country in late 2019. Banks have prevented most transfers abroad and imposed restrictions on the exchange of deposits with the scarcity of dollars.
The financial meltdown has caused the local currency to crumble, push the country to declare a sovereign debt default, and lead to widespread poverty.