Lebanon's central bank governor Riad Salameh appeared at Beirut's Palace of Justice on Wednesday after a second international arrest warrant was issued for him in Europe.
Mr Salameh is the subject of multiple European investigations into the alleged embezzlement of more than $330 million from the Lebanese central bank.
A red notice is a global call for all Interpol country members to help identify and arrest a fugitive wanted by the judiciary.
Lebanon is not compelled to abide by it and the country has a long-standing policy of not extraditing its citizens.
On May 16, France issued an arrest warrant for Mr Salameh. The governor was questioned the following week by the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, Imad Kabalan.
Mr Salameh was asked to surrender his French and Lebanese passports to the Lebanese judiciary.
He was barred from leaving the country but remains in his position at the central bank.
Judge Kabalan heard Mr Salameh for a second time, in relation to the German decision, on Wednesday. He asked the governor to remain available to the judiciary, according to the official Lebanese National News Agency.
He also maintained the confiscation of his passports and the travel ban.
Mr Kabalan requested access to details of the case from German prosecutors before making any decision.
He previously asked the same of the French judiciary.
Calls for the governor to resign are multiplying, but the subject remains sensitive as Mr Salameh has long enjoyed strong political support since assuming his mandate in 1993.
The cabinet has entrusted the Lebanese judiciary to decide on his position.
Observers say that the Lebanese judiciary could be delaying any decision, waiting until Mr Salameh's mandate expires at the end of July.
Both brothers have denied any wrongdoing, with Mr Salameh repeatedly stating that he has not received any public funds in his personal accounts.
No show in Paris for Raja Salameh
Raja Salameh was set to be heard in Paris on Wednesday as part of the same embezzlement probe, a judicial source confirmed to The National.
He did not show up for “health reasons,” according to his lawyer, who presented a medical report, as reported by several local media outlets.
Riad and Raja Salameh, along with Marianne Hoayek, the governor's former assistant, are facing local charges including money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment as part of a parallel corruption inquiry opened in Lebanon in 2021.
Raja Salameh was arrested and charged with “complicity in illicit enrichment” in Lebanon last year. He was released on record bail of 100 billion Lebanese pounds ($3.7 million) after two months of detention.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened. He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia. Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”. Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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