The preliminary investigation into the “Optimum Invest” case has been concluded. The Public Prosecution at the Court of Cassation closed the file and transferred it to the Financial Prosecutor’s Office, which has initiated proceedings against the former governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, who is being held in preventive detention in connection with this case.
The file was then sent to the interim first investigative judge of Beirut, Bilal Halawi. He is expected to begin questioning Salameh next week.
It is worth noting that the acting Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation, Jamal Hajjar, decided on Tuesday to keep the former governor in custody after a three-hour hearing at the Palace of Justice.
Hajjar explained that this is a “four-day preventive detention, after which Salameh will be referred to the investigative judge who will question him and take the appropriate judicial decision regarding his case.” He added that “this could include an enforceable arrest warrant.”
After the hearing, the former governor was transferred by dozens of Internal Security Forces (ISF) members to the detention center located at the ISF headquarters in Achrafieh.
This is the first time Salameh has appeared before the judiciary since the end of his term on July 31, 2023.
The Lebanese brokerage firm, established in 2004, is suspected of overcharging Lebanese banks by borrowing funds from the Banque du Liban (BDL) to purchase Lebanese treasury bills and then buying them back at inflated prices, enabling the central bank to make profits estimated at several billion dollars.
