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Lebanon's Detained Former Central Bank Governor Faces New Corruption Charge

FILE - Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's Central Bank, listens to a journalist's question during a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
FILE - Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's Central Bank, listens to a journalist's question during a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
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Lebanon's Detained Former Central Bank Governor Faces New Corruption Charge

FILE - Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's Central Bank, listens to a journalist's question during a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
FILE - Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's Central Bank, listens to a journalist's question during a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Lebanon charged the country’s former central bank governor with illicit enrichment and issued an arrest warrant against the detained banker, the second in less than two months, judicial officials said Thursday.
Riad Salameh, 74, was charged by the first examining magistrate of Mount Lebanon Nicola Mansour over an apartment that was rented in France to be a substitute office for the central bank if needed, the four official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
According to The Associated Press, the officials said Salameh had rented the apartment from his “former partner” Anna Kosakova for about $500,000 annually. They added that the apartment was small and almost empty except for a few computers.
After questioning Salameh, Mansour issued an arrest warrant for him. Salameh had been held by Lebanese authorities since early September.
Salameh has for years denied allegations of corruption, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. He insists that his wealth comes from inherited properties, investments and his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch.
In early September, Lebanon charged Salameh with the embezzlement of $42 million a day after he was detained.
Salameh ended his 30-year term as central bank governor a year ago under a cloud, with several European countries probing allegations of financial crimes. Many in Lebanon blame him for the crippling financial crisis that has gripped the country since late 2019.
He was appointed in 1993 and initially celebrated for his role in steering Lebanon’s economic recovery after a 15-year civil war, and for keeping the economy on an even keel during long spells of political gridlock and turmoil.
The embattled Salameh is also in the midst of several other cases against him, both locally and internationally.
France, Germany, and Luxembourg are also investigating Salameh and close associates over alleged illicit enrichment and the laundering of $330 million.
Salameh has criticized the European investigation and said it was part of a media and political campaign make him a scapegoat.
Meanwhile, the US, the UK and Canada have sanctioned Salameh and his close associates, and France issued an international arrest warrant for him.

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Lebanese PM's Office Denies US Asked Lebanon to Declare Unilateral Ceasefire with Israel

27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Lebanese PM's Office Denies US Asked Lebanon to Declare Unilateral Ceasefire with Israel

27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)

The office of Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati on Friday denied that the US had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire, after two sources told Reuters that a US envoy had made the request to inject momentum into stalled talks on a deal to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
In a statement to Reuters, Mikati's office said the government's stance was clear on seeking a ceasefire from both sides and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between the two foes in 2006.

Earlier, a senior Lebanese political source and a senior diplomat said the US had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire with Israel to revive stalled talks to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
They said the effort was communicated by US envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week, as the US stepped up diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Mikati's office in a statement to Reuters denied the US had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire. It said the government's stance was clear on seeking a ceasefire from both sides, and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between the two foes in 2006.
The US embassy in Beirut did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The sources said the US sought to persuade Beirut to take back some initiative in the talks, particularly given the perception that Israel will likely continue military operations that have already killed most of Hezbollah's leadership and destroyed much of the country's south.
Lebanon's armed forces are not involved in the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which began firing rockets at Israeli military sites a year ago in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas in Gaza.
Any effort to reach a ceasefire would need a green light from Hezbollah, which has ministers in Lebanon's cabinet and whose members and allies hold a significant number of seats in Lebanon's parliament.
Diplomats mediate with Hezbollah through the group's ally, Lebanese speaker of parliament Nabih Berri. Hezbollah has said it backs efforts by Berri to reach a ceasefire but says it must meet certain parameters, without providing details.
But a unilateral declaration was seen as a non-starter in Lebanon, the sources said, where it would likely be equated with a surrender.
DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVE
Another diplomat told Reuters that Hochstein had made a similar proposal months ago to Mikati and Berri.
Hochstein told them that if Hezbollah unilaterally declared a ceasefire, he "could have something to present" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a diplomatic initiative.
"His exact words were, 'help me, help you," the diplomat said, adding that then-Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah rejected the idea. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air attack on Sept. 27 on Beirut's southern suburbs.
Despite its losses, Hezbollah has maintained that the Iran-backed group's chain of command is intact and its fighters have kept Israeli forces making ground incursions into Lebanon at bay.
The US has been pushing for a 60-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as a prelude to a fuller implementation of 1701, sources told Reuters this week.
Hochstein was in Israel on Thursday with White House envoy Brett McGurk, but they did not continue on to Lebanon.
Speaking about Lebanon on Thursday, Netanyahu said that "agreements, documents, proposals....are not the main point."
"The main point is our ability and determination to enforce security, thwart attacks against us, and act against the arming of our enemies, as necessary and despite any pressure and constraints. This is the main point," he said.