Lebanon central bank chief denies financial misconduct

Lebanon central bank chief denies financial misconduct

BEIRUT: Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh maintained his innocence Friday following a second day of questioning before European investigators in Beirut as part of a probe into his personal wealth.

Salameh, 72, is part of the Lebanese political elite 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.

Following a three-hour session Friday, Salameh released a statement saying he appeared as a witness and “not as a suspect or facing charges.”

“Funds from the Lebanese central bank were not transferred to my account,” he said in a statement, adding: “The transfers I made abroad, whatever the amount, were from my personal account.”

The European investigators are looking into allegations of financial misconduct, including possible money laundering and embezzlement.

In January, the European investigators interviewed banking officials in Beirut about the transfer of funds to countries where Salameh has significant assets.

They have also been examining the central bank’s ties to Forry Associates Ltd, a