Skip to main content

Lebanon to release former central bank governor Salameh on bail

1 min Mena Today

Lebanese authorities will on Friday release former central bank governor Riad Salameh, who posted a record-high bail after nearly 13 months in detention over alleged financial crimes committed during his tenure, a Lebanese judicial source said.

Riad Salameh, Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

Riad Salameh, Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanese authorities will on Friday release former central bank governor Riad Salameh, who posted a record-high bail after nearly 13 months in detention over alleged financial crimes committed during his tenure, a Lebanese judicial source said.

Once viewed as the linchpin of the banking system, Salameh, 74, saw his standing crumble as a 2019 meltdown of the sector he oversaw impoverished Lebanese depositors and froze most out of their accounts. He was subsequently battered by corruption allegations both in Lebanon and abroad.

Salameh was arrested in Lebanon in September 2024 and detained pending an investigation into charges including the embezzlement of public funds.

After completing legal procedures, Salameh, who is currently in hospital, will be released on Friday, having posted bail of $14 million and 5 billion Lebanese pounds ($55,866), the source said, describing it as the highest bail figure ever recorded in Lebanon.

The public prosecutor has also banned him from travelling outside Lebanon for the next year as legal proceedings over his charges continue, the source added.

($1 = 89,500.0000 Lebanese pounds)

Reporting by Laila Bassam

Related

Israel

Trump announces Netanyahu US visit

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the U.S. next week.

Yemen

Yemen inches toward another devastating war

Yemen is edging towards the resumption of a more than decade-old frozen conflict, Yemeni officials, Western diplomats and analysts say, as attacks on Saudi infrastructure and shipping by Iran-aligned Houthis test the patience of the kingdom and the Yemeni government forces it backs.

Israel

Israeli forces deploy after fatal confrontation

Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed near a Palestinian village on Friday in a confrontation that added to a growing toll over recent weeks as Israeli settler violence has intensified against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.