The News
Lebanon’s former central bank governor Riad Salameh was arrested Tuesday in Beirut over alleged financial crimes, according to multiple reports.
Salameh, 74, was in the role for three decades before stepping down in 2023 amid multiple corruption probes — once seen as a “linchpin” of the country’s financial system, he is widely blamed for Lebanon’s economic collapse in 2019.
Salameh was arrested on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud related to commissions earned as part of the central bank’s dealings with a brokerage firm, Reuters reported. Salameh has denied any wrongdoing.
France and Germany had previously issued arrest warrants for Salameh, although Germany has since cancelled its warrant, while the UK and the US have issued sanctions against him over accusations of corruption.