Salameh questioned for second day by European lawyers

Salameh questioned for second day by European lawyers

Central bank governor Riad Salameh appeared Friday for the second day before a European delegation visiting Beirut as part of investigations into his personal wealth.

A day after a first session proceeded "calmly", Salameh and his legal team arrived at Beirut's justice palace, and the hearing began soon after.

An AFP correspondent reported a heavy security presence in and around the building.

Salameh had provided Thursday "detailed" responses to some 100 questions submitted by investigators and "refuted all suspicions of money laundering".

In his second questioning session today, Salameh will face an additional 100 questions put forward by the European delegation.

Salameh, 72, is part of the Lebanese political class widely blamed for a crushing economic crisis that began in late 2019 and which the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent history.

He faces allegations of crimes including embezzlement in separate probes in Lebanon and abroad, with investigators examining the fortune he has amassed during three decades in the job.

Salameh has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in March last year in a move linked to a French probe into Salameh's personal wealth.

The European investigation is looking into allegations of financial misconduct, including