Salameh summoned to appear before European investigators on Wednesday

Salameh summoned to appear before European investigators on Wednesday

A Lebanese judge has asked central bank chief Riad Salameh to appear before visiting European investigators, a judicial official said, part of a multinational probe into his personal wealth.

Salameh "has been summoned to appear at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday" before investigators from France, Luxembourg and Belgium, the Lebanese judicial official told AFP on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The embattled central bank chief faces embezzlement accusations in sperate investigations in Lebanon and abroad, looking into the fortune he has amassed in a country mired in financial crisis.

He denies all accusations against him and has rarely appeared before the judiciary, despite numerous complaints and summonses.

Salameh had been summoned for questioning on Wednesday in the domestic case, but that session has been postponed to make way for the European investigators, according to the judicial official.

If he shows up, it would be the first time Salameh, 72, appears before European investigators probing suspected financial misconduct, including possible money laundering and embezzlement.

For procedural reasons, Lebanese judge Charbel Abu Samra would question Salameh in the presence of the European investigators, the official said.

France, Germany and Luxembourg in March last year seized assets worth 120 million euros