Lebanon central bank chief snubs European investigators

Lebanon central bank chief snubs European investigators

Lebanon's under-fire central bank governor Riad Salameh failed to appear Wednesday before European investigators, with his legal team claiming the hearing would have been "in conflict with national sovereignty", a judicial source said.

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 planet's worst in recent history.

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

Salameh had been summoned to appear at Beirut's justice palace on Wednesday morning but objected to the session and instead sent a legal representative, the judicial official told AFP on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

The objection charged that "the presence of international judges in Lebanon and the investigation into the financial matters is in conflict with national sovereignty", the official added.

The Lebanese judiciary on Wednesday rejected the claim, finding that the presence of the international team "is not in conflict with Lebanese law and does detract from Lebanese sovereignty", according to the official.

The session