Mount Lebanon Attorney General Judge Ghada Aoun on Tuesday ordered General Security to impose a travel ban on Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh in connection with a lawsuit filed against him by activists.
A leaked copy of Aoun’s order says Salameh should be barred from traveling through all land, sea and air ports of entry due to “judicial requirements in light of the important clues and evidence in the preliminary investigation file, especially the lawsuit filed by the lawyers of the legal department of the People Want the Reform of the Regime group.”
Salameh, one of the world’s longest-serving central bank governors, is also facing judicial investigations in France, Switzerland and other European countries on suspicion of money laundering and illicit enrichment, among other allegations.
Salameh has recently dismissed the cases against him as unfounded and lacking in evidence, claiming they were opened based on complaints filed by Lebanese citizens “for reasons that could be political… or tied to certain interests.”
He said that a top-tier financial audit firm had scrutinized his accounts at his request and presented him with a report that he then submitted to officials and judges.
“I am ready to cooperate with all investigations,” he said, claiming they were based on “fabricated evidence” that made it seem as though he “took all of Lebanon’s money and pocketed it.”