Beirut: Lebanon’s Ministry of Justice has received an Interpol notice issued for central bank Governor Riad Salameh, according to the country’s caretaker interior minister.
Bassam Mawlawi told the Reuters news agency on Friday that he would implement the red notice if the judiciary instructed him to do so.
“Whatever the judiciary says, we will do,” Mawlawi said.
Red notices go out to law enforcement agencies around the world. They seek the location and arrest of fugitives wanted for prosecution or to serve prison sentences.
The notice for Salameh was issued after France put out an arrest warrant for him as part of its investigation into whether the governor embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds, an allegation he denies.
Salameh slammed the French move, calling it a violation of the law, and promised to appeal.The 72-year-old is part of the Lebanese political elite widely blamed for a crushing economic crisis that began in late 2019.
He has been the target of a series of judicial investigations on allegations that include fraud, money laundering and illicit enrichment with investigators examining the fortune he has amassed during almost 30 years on the job. alameh has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and insists that his wealth comes from his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties and investments.–Agencies
