And Germany is the fourth European country to seek such information from Beirut, according to Reuters.
Two judicial sources told Reuters last week that Lebanon had received letters from the French and Luxembourg authorities requesting information regarding the accounts and banking assets of the governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, who has held the position for nearly three decades.
And the Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office said last year that it had requested legal assistance from Lebanon, in the context of an investigation into “extensive money laundering and possible embezzlement” operations of more than 300 million dollars, during the reign of Riad Salameh at the Central Bank.
The Lebanese judicial authorities also opened an investigation into the matter.
For his part, Salameh repeatedly denies any wrongdoing. In response to a request for comment last week on the query from Luxembourg, he told Reuters that this was “normal procedure and not a court case”.
He added, “If they had filed a lawsuit, they would not have asked for assistance in the investigation.”
Salameh’s role in the central bank has been under intense scrutiny since the economic collapse in Lebanon in 2019, which witnessed the collapse of the value of the lira and pushed large segments of the population into poverty.
Salameh still enjoys significant political support in Lebanon. Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in December that Salameh should remain in office for now.
“The commander does not change his officers during the war,” he added, referring to the financial crisis in Lebanon.
