From the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, August 29:
Lebanese authorities have set $20 million bail for former central bank governor Riad Salameh, nearly a year after his arrest on charges of embezzling public funds, as concerns persist over whether he will be held accountable for his role in Lebanon’s financial crisis.
A Lebanese court has ordered the release of former central bank governor Riad Salameh on bail of more than $20 million, over charges of embezzling $44 million in public funds.
The ruling comes nearly a year after the 75-year-old was arrested in September 2024 on multiple financial charges, including embezzlement of public money. In April, a judge referred Salameh to trial on counts of embezzlement and illicit enrichment.
Along with bail, the court imposed a one-year travel ban on Salameh. His lawyer, Mark Habka, called the bail an “illegal” amount and said they will sek a reduction. Despite the order, Salameh had not yet been released as of Tuesday.
Regardless of the release decision, under the Lebanese Code of Criminal Procedure, Salameh’s release was due on September 4, when his pretrial detention period of six months—renewable only once—expires....
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