Lebanese Judge Charges Salameh with Illicit Enrichment

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. Reuters
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. Reuters
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Lebanese Judge Charges Salameh with Illicit Enrichment

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. Reuters
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. Reuters

A Lebanese judge charged central bank governor Riad Salameh with illicit enrichment on Monday, the judge told Reuters, days after she ordered his brother Raja arrested in the same case.

Judge Ghada Aoun said Riad Salameh, governor for nearly three decades, had not attended a hearing scheduled for Monday, and she had charged him in absentia.

She said the charge related to the purchase and rental of Paris apartments, including some to the central bank, Aoun told Reuters.

But Salameh said that he had ordered an audit which showed that no public funds were a source of his wealth, denying the charge.

"This audit report was submitted to the relevant authorities in Lebanon and abroad," Salameh said in response to a question sent by text message from Reuters.

On Friday, Raja Salameh's lawyer said allegations of illicit enrichment and money laundering against his client were unfounded, calling the evidence "media speculation without any evidence".



Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More than 90 People in the Last 48 Hours

A Palestinian child stands at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 19, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A Palestinian child stands at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 19, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
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Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More than 90 People in the Last 48 Hours

A Palestinian child stands at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 19, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A Palestinian child stands at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 19, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

More than 90 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes in the last 48 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The dead include at least 15 people killed overnight, among them women and children, some of who were sheltering in a designated humanitarian zone, according to hospital staff.
Israel is ramping up attacks across Gaza as it tries to pressure Hamas to release its hostages and disarm. Israel has said it plans to occupy large “security zones” inside Gaza.