On Monday, a Beirut court issued a precautionary seizure of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh’s assets and properties.
Head of the Beirut Execution Department, independent Judge Faysal Makki, issued the decision after a group of lawyers filed a lawsuit against Salameh, reported NNA.
The lawyers, who are also activists in the group The People Want To Reform The System, filed a complaint against Salameh in June for the alleged crimes of undermining his status, breaching job duties, negligence, and embezzlement.
The lawyers are Hasan Bazzi, Haitham Ezzo, Jad Tohme, Joseph Wanis, Pierre El-Gemayel, Francois Kamel, Bassel Abbas, and Journalist Joey Haddad.
The Criminal Judge in Beirut, Judge Lara Abdul Samad, has announced that Salameh will be trialed on October 14th, 2020, following the group’s lawsuit.
The seizure reportedly includes properties such as his home in Rabieh and his car(s).
The Central Bank Gov. is also facing another lawsuit filed recently by the legal team United for Lebanon. The group has similar complaints as that of the lawyers above.
Since October 2019, Riad Salameh has been criticized for his role in the deterioration of Lebanon’s financial stability. He believes there is a “systematic campaign” against him and the banking sector, which he aims to restructure.
Moreover, a dispute between the Lebanese government and the Central Bank regarding the true losses is stalling any IMF aid to Lebanon.
