On Thursday, Investigative Judge Nicolas Mansour reportedly ordered the release of Raja Salameh on a bail set at $20,000 or 500 billion LBP.
Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun, who had charged him and ordered his detainment, appealed against the decision.
The Lebanese businessman and brother of Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh, was arrested and kept in custody since March 17th with allegations of money embezzlement.
Riad Salameh, who was summoned with charges of corruption, failed to attend his judicial hearing on Thursday, according to The National News Agency (NNA), and the judge had to schedule a new hearing for June.
The Salameh brothers’ assets have been also frozen in France, Germany, and Luxemburg over alleged money laundering.
On Monday, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) announced the freezing of 120 million Euros ($132 Million) in Lebanese assets linked to a money-laundering investigation. Riad Salameh is reportedly one of the main suspects.
“The main investigation is directed against five suspects accused of money laundering. They are suspected of embezzling public funds in Lebanon for amounts of more than USD 330 million and EUR 5 million, respectively, between 2002 and 2021,” said Eurojust.
Riad Salameh is also suspected of using millions in funds from Lebanon’s Central Bank for private purposes in France.
