Former Lebanon Central Bank Governor Charged With Embezzling $42 Million

Riad Salameh, 73, retired last year after three decades in charge of the country’s central bank amid allegations of financial misconduct.

Riad Salameh (R), Lebanon's outgoing central bank governor, greets employees at a farewell ceremony marking the end of his 30 years in office outside the central bank building in Beirut on July 31, 2023. Hassan Ammar/The Canadian Press/AP

The former governor of Lebanon’s central bank, Riad Salameh, has been charged with embezzling $42 million and will remain in custody until next week.

Salameh, 73, was charged by the Office of the Public Prosecutor on Sept. 4, one day after he was detained following an interrogation on Sept. 2 by Lebanon’s top public prosecutor, Judge Jamal al-Hajjar.