French anti-corruption judges reportedly opened an investigation on Friday into Riad Salameh, the Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL).
French prosecutors launched the investigation upon allegations of aggravated money laundering and embezzlement from Banque Du Liban (BDL) and suspicious association with criminal groups.
This comes after an investigation was started back in May of this year following a probe opened by the Swiss authorities regarding money transfers that Riad Salameh had done, which the latter denied.
The Swiss prosecutors, who took action according to the anti-money laundering act, had asked the Lebanese authorities to help in the investigation. It is expected that the French judges will follow this step.
The French involvement is set to spark a wide European investigation into Riad Salameh‘s $2 billion wealth after several complaints regarding the Governor were filed from many anti-financial crime organizations.
Salameh‘s French lawyer has denied all allegations against him. Salameh is accused by many, including Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, to be responsible for the collapse of the Lebanese Lira.
