A judge in Lebanon has frozen property assets belonging to prominent Lebanese actress Stephanie Saliba, who was recently questioned in an investigation into alleged corruption by central bank governor Riad Salameh.
The order was issued by Mount Lebanon prosecutor Ghada Aoun, the judge who summoned the actress for questioning after she arrived back in Lebanon earlier this month. Saliba was later released.
This move prevents Saliba from using or selling her properties.
The actress has starred in the series Above the Clouds and Moment of Silence and has 2.3 million followers on Instagram.
Ms Aoun told The National Saliba has two “very expensive apartments” in the fashionable Gemmayze neighbourhood of Beirut, one in Beit Misk in the Metn region, about 20km east of Beirut and another in Ghazir, in Keserwan district, about the same distance north of the capital.
Earlier this month Ms Aoun said investigators were looking into the sources of funds Mr Salameh used to buy the actress expensive gifts — including property.
Mr Salameh and Saliba are seen as being close friends.
Once heralded as the man who kept Lebanon’s banking sector running, Mr Salameh is now being investigated over his financial dealings in at least five European countries. He denies accusations of corruption.
Lebanon has been embroiled in an economic crisis that first became apparent in 2019 and which has been blamed on decades of corruption and financial mismanagement.
As the governor of the Banque du Liban since 1993, Mr Salameh is seen by many as a key figure in the country's financial downturn.
The crisis has plunged most of Lebanon's population into poverty, while the local currency has lost more than 95 per cent of its value against the US dollar. The country faces severe shortages of essentials such as clean water, electricity and medicines.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
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