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Lebanon Cenbank Governor, Brother Sue State over ‘Mistakes’ in Embezzlement Probe

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during an interview for Reuters Next conference, in Beirut, Lebanon November 23, 2021. (Reuters)
Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during an interview for Reuters Next conference, in Beirut, Lebanon November 23, 2021. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Cenbank Governor, Brother Sue State over ‘Mistakes’ in Embezzlement Probe

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during an interview for Reuters Next conference, in Beirut, Lebanon November 23, 2021. (Reuters)
Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during an interview for Reuters Next conference, in Beirut, Lebanon November 23, 2021. (Reuters)

Lebanon's central bank governor and his brother are suing the state over what they say were "grave mistakes" made by a public prosecutor in his investigation of whether they had embezzled public funds, according to a copy of the lawsuit.

Their claim has led to concerns that the public probe into the two brothers could stall, after similar lawsuits paralyzed an investigation into the devastating 2020 explosion at Beirut's port.

Public prosecutor Jean Tannous has been investigating allegations of embezzlement and other misconduct at the central bank involving $300 million in gains made by a company owned by Raja Salameh, brother of Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh.

The brothers have denied the accusations.

This week, they filed a suit against the Lebanese state accusing Tannous of committing "grave mistakes" through the course of his probe, according to a copy of the lawsuit seen by Reuters on Friday.

Tannous declined a Reuters request for comment while Riad Salameh did not immediately respond to a similar request.

The document alleges that Tannous is biased and lacks the legal authority to access bank information, arguing that only the central bank's special investigation commission has that prerogative.

The commission is typically headed by the central bank governor. Salameh told Reuters earlier this year he stepped back from presiding over it as far as it pertains to his case, "so there is no conflict of interest".

The lawsuit also claims that Tannous's attempt to obtain account information from commercial banks in January as part of the probe violated banking secrecy laws. It also accuses Tannous of circumventing official channels to coordinate directly with judiciaries abroad on the probe.

Riad Salameh is facing judicial probes in at least five European nations over the same accusations of embezzlement and money-laundering.

In May, French investigative judge Aude Buresi traveled to Beirut and met with Tannous, Lebanon's top prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, and other judges.

During her visit, the central bank's special investigation commission handed over account information on Raja Salameh from nine Lebanese banks to Oueidat, in the first known case of such information-sharing.

Nizar Saghieh, the head of rights watchdog Legal Agenda, said the lawsuit could "freeze the case indefinitely" as it was filed to a public court whose members have yet to be named.

Similar lawsuits filed to this body have managed to stall another state investigation into the causes behind the Beirut port blast, which killed more than 215 people.

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Report: Western Powers Warn Syria over Foreign Fighters in Army

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
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Report: Western Powers Warn Syria over Foreign Fighters in Army

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)

US, French and German envoys have warned Syria's new rulers that their appointment of foreign fighters to senior military posts is a security concern and bad for their image as they try to forge ties with foreign states, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The warning from the US, part of Western efforts to get Syria's new leaders to reconsider the move, was delivered in a meeting between US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, a US official said.

"These appointments will not help them with their reputation in the US," the official said.

The foreign ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, also broached the issue of foreign fighters drafted into the army during their meeting with Sharaa on Jan. 3, an official aware of the talks said.

Reuters reported the appointments on Dec. 30. The envoys' comments on the appointments have not previously been reported.

Sharaa's armed group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led an offensive that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 and has since installed a government and disbanded the Assad-era army. It is now making efforts to reconstitute the armed forces.

Late last year, it made nearly 50 appointments including at least six foreign fighters, among them Chinese and central Asian Uyghurs, a Turkish citizen, an Egyptian and a Jordanian, Reuters reported at the time.

Three were given the rank of brigadier-general and at least three others the rank of colonel, a Syrian military source said.

HTS and allied groups have hundreds of foreign fighters in their ranks who came to Syria during the country's 13-year civil war, many of them followers of hardline interpretations of Islam.

Foreign capitals generally view foreign fighters as a key security threat as they suspect that some may seek to carry out attacks in their home countries after gaining experience abroad.

Officials of the new Syrian administration have said foreign fighters made sacrifices to help overthrow Assad and would have a place in Syria, adding they could be granted citizenship.

The Syrian defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The German foreign ministry did not comment.

A State Department spokesperson said Washington is in a continuing dialogue with the interim authorities in Damascus.

"Discussions have been constructive and have covered a wide range of domestic and international issues," the spokesperson said, adding there has been "tangible progress on counter-terrorism priorities, including ISIS."

The US official and a Western source said that Damascus explained the appointments of foreign fighters by saying they could not simply be sent back home or abroad where they may face persecution, and it was better to keep them in Syria.

The US official said authorities also explained that these people had helped rid Syria of Assad and some had been in the country for more than 10 years and so were part of society.