Prosecutors in Germany confirm investigation into Salameh
German prosecutors have confirmed for the first time that they are investigating claims against the former governor of Lebanon’s central bank and issued an arrest warrant for him.
The Munich public prosecutor’s office said it was investigating Riad Salameh, who was head of the bank from 1993 until last year, his brother Raja and others facing charges including forgery, money laundering and embezzlement.
Last July, The National revealed the full extent of the prosecution case against Riad Salameh, who is accused of embezzling $330 million from Lebanon.
Documents obtained by The National from two independent sources showed in detail how Mr Salameh is alleged to have siphoned the funds into Europe and the US, the companies created to execute the plan, the accomplices he is said to have used and the vast property empire he controls.
The Salameh brothers deny all the charges.
Riad Salameh is being investigated in Lebanon and at least five European countries over allegations he took hundreds of millions of dollars from the central bank and laundered the funds abroad.
Last August, the US, Canada and the UK issued sanctions against Riad Salameh and his associates. US authorities placed him on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.
Prosecutors from European nations, including Germany, have visited Lebanon several times to question the Salameh brothers.
Lebanon does not extradite its own citizens.
The Munich public prosecutor’s office alleges that part of the funds, which investigators put at €150 million ($162.2 million), was routed to Europe through a letterbox company in the British Virgin Islands and invested in real estate, including in Germany.
In an operation with authorities in France and Luxembourg, the prosecutor’s office said three commercial properties in Munich and Hamburg, with a total value of about €28 million, had been confiscated. Authorities also seized shares worth about €7 million in a property company in Dusseldorf.