Court summons issued for Riad Salameh

Lebanese judicial authorities issued a court summons on Thursday for former Central Bank governor Riad Salameh after he failed to appear at a hearing over an embezzlement complaint, a judicial source told AFP.

Salameh headed the central bank from 1993 to July 2023, and was suspected by many Lebanese of helping facilitate large transfers of money abroad by the political elite during mass protests that began in October 2019.

Despite multiple accusations at home and abroad, the 76-year-old has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

He was due to appear in court in connection with a complaint filed by new governor Karim Soueid that alleged embezzlement of institutional funds, illicit enrichment and money laundering.

But he failed to appear in court on Thursday.

"The Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation issued a court summons and tasked an Internal Security Forces patrol with apprehending him at his home and escorting him to the Palace of Justice," said the judicial source.

The central bank previously told AFP it was the "victim of the embezzlement of funds amounting to several hundred million euros, committed at its expense by its former governor, Mr. Riad Salameh, with the assistance of several individuals in his circle."

The initial hearing had taken place in June at Salameh's home due to his deteriorating health, with a judge presiding over his questioning.

The former CEO of one of Lebanon's leading banks, Samir Hanna, did appear in court in relation to the same case, the judicial source added.

Salameh is accused by his critics of being a key figure behind Lebanon's financial collapse and was arrested in September 2024, charged with the alleged embezzlement of $44 million from the bank he oversaw.

He was released a year later after posting record bail of over $14 million, but was barred from travelling.

He has also been the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by French authorities since May 2023.

In May, the Swiss subsidiary of British bank HSBC was formally indicted in Paris. Investigators suspect it helped Salameh embezzle funds.