This seizure made in particular on property located in France, Germany and Luxembourg aims, among other things, the governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salamé.
Le Monde with AFP and Reuters
Eurojust, European organized crime coordinating body, Monday, March 28, announced the seizure of about 120 million euros of Lebanese assets in different European countries, including France. This important asset gel follows a money laundering survey for five people including the governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salamé.
These five suspects are suspected of having “diverted public funds to Lebanon for amounts of more than $ 330 million [300 million euros] and 5 million euros, respectively, between 2002 and 2021”, Stressed, Monday, March 28, the European Agency for Judicial Cooperation (Eurojust) in a statement. Sources close to the file clarified the France-Presse agency (AFP) that these five people were Riad Salamé and four members of his family or his entourage.
On July 2, 2021, the French financial parquet (PNF) had opened judicial information aimed at the rich heritage in Europe of Lebanese manager, on which the organized band whitening charges and association of criminal.
“magnification”
Target of a series of judicial investigations in Lebanon and abroad, Riad Salamé is also the subject of new charges related to an “illegal enrichment” issued by a judge in Beirut, had clarified a Judicial source on March 21st.
The PNF greeted on Twitter of “entertained seizures” as part of a judicial information he had opened for leaders of “organized band, crimis-off association and especially in France and Lebanon “. Eurojust, who coordinated the operation, did not give any information on the identity of the suspects, and insisted that the latter are “presumed innocent until they were convicted “.
In France, the authorities seized, on Friday, March 25, two real estate sets in Paris worth 16 million euros, detailed Eurojust. These are two apartments located in the XVI e Arrondissement de Paris, according to a source close to the file. Several bank accounts were also seized in France (2.2 million euros) and in Monaco (46 million euros), as well as a building in Brussels worth 7 million euros, said Eurojust .
The German judicial authorities have seized three properties (one in Hamburg, two in Munich). Units in a real estate company based in Düsseldorf have also been secured. In addition to the properties, currently valid about 28 million euros, other assets of around 7 million euros were seized throughout Germany, said Eurojust. In Luxembourg, approximately 11 million euros were seized on several bank accounts, according to the agency.
“Emissar Bouco”
The judicial procedure against Mr. Salamé has the starting point the complaints filed in April in Paris by the Swiss Accountability Now Foundation on one side and, on the other, the NGO Sherpa and the “collective of victims of the victims of Fraudulent and criminal practices in Lebanon “, consisting of spoiled investors in the crisis hit the country since 2019.
While Lebanon is confronted with an unprecedented economic crisis, this close to the Hariri family is conspired by the street, which suspects it to have, like other leaders of the country, transferred significant sums. Abroad at the October 2019 uprising. He defended himself in the media, believing being the “scapegoat” of the crisis and affirming having made the heritage of $ 23 million (19.5 million) he held in 1993 when he took office at the head of the central bank.
“We will perform all the useful remedies,” reacted Monday M e Pierre-Olivier on, the lawyer of Mr. Salamé in France.