BEIRUT – Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Tuesday that central bank Governor Riad Salameh should remain in position for now, signalling continued political backing for him despite embezzlement probes at home and abroad.
“One does not change their officers during a war,” Mikati told a news conference in reference to Salameh, adding that he would wait for the results of investigations that are being conducted by judicial authorities in Switzerland and elsewhere.
Salameh has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Speaking to Reuters, Mikati, a billionaire tycoon, said the investigations against Salameh were “being used in politics”.
Salameh’s tenure as governor has come under increased scrutiny since 2019 when Lebanon collapsed into a financial meltdown that has sunk the currency by some 95 per cent and caused poverty to skyrocket.
Salameh is being investigated by authorities in at least four European countries, including a Swiss inquiry over alleged “aggravated money laundering” at the central bank involving $300 million in gains by a company owned by his brother, Raja.
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