Lebanon indicts former central bank chief and ex-Bank Audi head on embezzlement

A judge in Beirut formally indicted former Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh and former Bank Audi chief Samir Hanna for allegedly embezzling tens of millions of dollars from the central bank and engaging in illicit enrichment. The filing accuses Hanna of bribing Salameh while he was in office, marking the first instance of a commercial banker being implicated in the Salameh case and suggesting the investigation is widening into the private sector.

Salameh, who was detained for about 13 months and is now under medical supervision at a government hospital, has denied any wrongdoing; Hanna, aged 88, secured release after posting a $1 million bail. In January, current governor Karim Souaid disclosed that the central bank had filed a criminal complaint against an unnamed former official, a former banker and a lawyer over misuse of public funds through four Cayman Islands shell companies.

Swiss NGO Accountability Now reported that the new indictment covers alleged embezzlement of $154 million in 2010 and $102 million in 2012. Salameh also faces parallel investigations abroad, including in France, Switzerland and Germany.