Lebanon deputy central bank governors could resign if no new chief appointed – one deputy

Lebanon deputy central bank governors could resign if no new chief appointed – one deputy

BEIRUT - Lebanon's deputy central bank governors could all resign if no successor is appointed when current chief Riad Salameh's term ends this month, one of the deputies said Thursday, raising the prospect of a leaderless central bank amid a financial crisis. Salameh, whose 30-year tenure as governor has been stained lately by charges at home and abroad of embezzlement of public funds in Lebanon, is expected to leave his post when his term ends in late July. He denies the charges. Lebanese authorities have not named a successor, with political factions stuck in a stalemate that has also left the presidency unfilled for more than eight months and cabinet operating in a caretaker capacity for over a year. "In the absence of a comprehensive plan which allows us as monetary policymakers to take the required actions to protect the best interest of the country, it becomes urgent to take difficult choices," deputy governor Salim Chahine told Reuters. "Resignation is a possible outcome," he said. Another central bank source familiar with the thinking of Wassim Mansouri, the first deputy governor, told Reuters that all four would resign if there was no successor to Salameh. That source said Mansouri, who would