BEIRUT — A Lebanese judge has formally indicted former central bank Governor Riad Salameh and former commercial banker Samir Hanna on charges of embezzlement and illicit enrichment, in a case that expands Lebanon's financial investigations into the private banking sector.
The indictment accuses Salameh and Hanna, who previously led Lebanon's Bank Audi, of embezzling tens of millions in funds from the Banque du Liban, the country's central bank. Judicial sources confirmed the charges Monday, detailing the scope of the alleged misconduct.
It is the first time a commercial banker has been indicted in a financial crimes case connected to Salameh. Judicial sources said the file also accuses Hanna of bribing Salameh during his tenure as central bank governor.
Salameh, 76, led the Banque du Liban for three decades, from 1993 until July 2023. He has faced prior indictments and arrests in Lebanon over other alleged financial crimes committed during that period, and has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying he is being made a scapegoat for the country's economic collapse.
Salameh was placed in custody last month after failing to appear at a hearing. He is currently under medical supervision at a government hospital outside Beirut.
Hanna, 88, posted $1 million bail and is not in custody.
Salameh is also subject to investigations in France, Switzerland and Germany.
In January, Karim Souaid, Lebanon's current central bank governor, announced that the central bank had filed a criminal complaint against an unnamed former official, a former banker and a lawyer, alleging illicit enrichment through the misuse of public funds via four offshore shell companies in the Cayman Islands.
Salameh had previously been detained for approximately 13 months on separate financial crimes allegations. He was released in September after posting bail exceeding $14 million.
