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Lebanon: Brother of Central Bank Chief Kept in Custody

A view shows the Central Bank building, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
A view shows the Central Bank building, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
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Lebanon: Brother of Central Bank Chief Kept in Custody

A view shows the Central Bank building, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
A view shows the Central Bank building, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters

A Lebanese judge decided Thursday to keep the brother of the country’s embattled central bank governor in custody, a week after he was first arrested on corruption allegations, state media reported.

The brothers — Governor Riad Salameh and Raja Salameh — have been charged with illegal enrichment and money laundering over the past few years, during Lebanon’s economic meltdown. Their assets have been frozen under an order from a judge.

A second judge, Nicola Mansour at Mount Lebanon district court, reviewed the case of Raja Salameh on Thursday, a week after his initial arrest and issued a second warrant for him, essentially keeping him in custody, The Associated Press reported.

Riad Salameh, who has not been arrested, has steered Lebanese finances since 1993, through post-war recovery and bouts of unrest. He was once praised as guardian of Lebanon’s financial stability but has drawn increasing scrutiny since the meltdown started in 2019.

Judge Mansour also summoned Riad Salameh for questioning next Thursday, according to National News Agency. The governor did not show up for previous questioning sessions.

When contacted by Reuters, he denied any wrongdoing, saying he had ordered an audit which showed public funds were not a source of his wealth.

Judge Ghada Aoun, also an investigative judge at Mount Lebanon district court who referred the case to Mansour, said that the Salameh brothers and Ukrainian citizen Anna Kosakova had formed three illusive companies in France to buy property there.

Aoun said last week that Riad Salameh had used his brother to buy real estate in France worth nearly $12 million. The lawsuit against the Salameh brothers was initiated by a group of lawyers.

In January, Aoun imposed a travel ban and froze some of the assets of the 71-year-old governor. He is also being investigated in several European nations, including Switzerland and France, for potential money laundering and embezzlement.

Critics of Judge Aoun accuse her of acting in line with the political agenda of President Michel Aoun, who appointed her as a prosecutor and whose Free Patriotic Movement wants Salameh removed from his post. Judge Aoun says she is applying the law.

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ICRC to Expand Syria Humanitarian Efforts beyond $100 Mln Program

A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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ICRC to Expand Syria Humanitarian Efforts beyond $100 Mln Program

A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
A logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pictured in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plans to expand its work in Syria significantly beyond an initial $100 million program, the organization's president said on Monday, citing pressing needs in the health, water and power sectors.
Syria requires $4.07 billion in aid this year, but only 33.1% has been funded, leaving a $2.73 billion gap, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The ICRC's expected expansion follows new access to all regions of the country after the toppling of president Bashar al-Assad last month.
"Our program originally for this year for Syria was $100 million, but we are likely to expand that significantly," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric told Reuters on the sidelines of a visit to the country.
She said individual donor countries had already come forward with an increase in funding for Syria.
ICRC was one of the few international organizations still operating in Syria under Assad's rule, working on infrastructure projects including water and electricity systems.
"We need to expand that work, we have a lot to do in the health sector," she added.
The organization is engaged in rehabilitation work to sustain water provision at 40% to 50% of what it was before the war, but protection of water facilities remains important as some are close to places where fighting is still under way.
"There are facilities next to the Euphrates Lake that are specific to the protection requirement at the moment," she said.
Initial assessments to begin immediate rehabilitation of Syria’s electricity systems are partly complete, but urgent financial investments and adjustments to sanctions are now required, she added.
"Certain spare parts need to be allowed to come in because that is also hampering the rehabilitation work at the moment. So there's a political dimension to it," she said.
Earlier, people briefed on the matter told Reuters that the US is set to announce an easing of restrictions on providing humanitarian aid and other basic services such as electricity to Syria while maintaining its strict sanctions regime.
On Sunday, Syria's new rulers said US sanctions were an obstacle to the country's rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them, during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar.