U.S., U.K. and Canada sanction Lebanon’s former central bank governor over corruption allegations

BEIRUT –

The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada slapped sanctions Thursday on Lebanon’s embattled former central financial institution governor and a handful of shut kin and associates over allegations of corruption, the U.S. Treasury Department stated.

Riad Salameh, 73, ended his 30-year tenure on July 31 beneath a cloud of investigation and blame for his nation’s historic financial disaster.

France, Germany, and Luxembourg are investigating Salameh and shut associates over alleged monetary crimes, together with illicit enrichment and the laundering of US$330 million. Paris and Berlin issued Interpol notices on Salameh in May, although Lebanon doesn’t hand over its residents to overseas international locations.

“Salameh abused his position of power, likely in violation of Lebanese law, to enrich himself and his associates by funneling hundreds of millions of dollars through layered shell companies to invest in European real estate,” a U.S. Treasury Department assertion stated.

The assertion stated the U.S. coordinated the sanctions with the U.Ok. and Canada and that belongings related to Salameh can be frozen. The U.S. additionally sanctioned Salameh’s son Nady, brother Raja, shut affiliate Marianne Hoayek and “former partner” Anna Kosakova. The U.Ok. sanctioned the identical checklist of individuals besides Nady Salameh, and Canada sanctioned solely Salameh, his brother and Howayek.

Salameh has repeatedly denied allegations of corruption, embezzlement, and illicit enrichment. He insists that his wealth comes from inherited properties, investments and his earlier job as an funding banker at Merrill Lynch.

Salameh’s lawyer didn’t instantly reply to a request from The Associated Press for touch upon the sanctions.

U.S. officers stated Salameh allegedly hid his id by Panama shell corporations and a belief in Luxembourg in a scheme the place he bought shares in an organization his son Nady labored for as an funding advisor. He then offered these shares to a Lebanese financial institution regulated by the Central Bank, which the U.S. Treasury stated was a battle of curiosity and sure violated a Lebanese regulation that banned central financial institution staff from benefiting from non-public companies .

Raja has been accused of supporting his brother’s embezzlement by a brokerage agency he owns referred to as Forry Associates Ltd, which the U.S. Treasury described as a shell firm based mostly within the Virgin Islands.

Howayek, in the meantime, was accused of transferring lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} to the Salamehs from her checking account, which was “far more” than what could possibly be accounted for along with her central financial institution wage.

Nady Salameh was sanctioned as “the publicly registered officer” of corporations registered in Luxembourg that bought high-end actual property value tens of tens of millions of {dollars} by subsidiary corporations in Belgium and Germany.

France-based Kosakova was accused of utilizing funds funnelled from Forry to buy luxurious properties in Paris, together with flats in high-end neighbourhoods, and an workplace constructing on the touristic Champs-Elysees avenue for the central financial institution as a “continuity of operations” centre.

Salameh can be being investigated in Lebanon. The Lebanese judiciary had taken his passports and imposed a journey ban quickly after receiving the Interpol notices.

Salameh has has criticized the European probe and stated it was a part of a media and political marketing campaign to scapegoat him.

Once hailed as Lebanon’s guardian of monetary stability, Salameh has been among the many officers most blamed for insurance policies that led to the nation’s financial disaster, which has decimated the worth of the Lebanese pound by round 90 per cent towards the U.S. greenback and sparked triple-digit inflation.

Lebanon has not appointed a brand new central financial institution governor, however a vice governor, Wassim Mansouri, has been named appearing governor. The crisis-hit nation has additionally been with out a president for nearly a yr and is run by a caretaker Cabinet with restricted capabilities.

“The only way to put Lebanon on the path to much-needed economic recovery is for its leaders to stamp out corruption and implement real reforms.” the UK’s minister of state for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, stated in an announcement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office asserting the sanctions.