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More than a month and a half after former Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh was detained on July 31, 2026, by the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, and subsequently formally detained pursuant to a request issued by the Appellate Public Prosecutor’s Office on August 12, 2026, his attorney, Wassim Ghaoui, filed a request for his release before Beirut First Investigating Judge Roula Othman, citing legal grounds, material facts, and health considerations.
According to the request, contrary to the allegations underlying the prosecution of Salameh for the alleged embezzlement of Banque du Liban funds, the civil claimant — Banque du Liban itself — explicitly confirmed that the loan granted to Bank Audi in 2010 was approved by the Central Council, rather than through a personal decision by the Governor. The loan was fully repaid in 2012, along <a href="https://menainsights.com/organizations-<a href="https://menainsights.com/double-the-slices-forma-celebrates-pepperoni-pizza-day-with-a-complimentary-pizza/”>with-trustworthy-ai-practices-are-15-times-more-likely-to-see-strong-roi-per-study-findings/”>with 5% interest, generating $33 million in interest income. A second loan, granted in 2014, was also fully repaid in 2016, together with 6.5% interest.
The defense argues that this confirmation is of decisive importance because it came from the very institution that filed the complaint — Banque du Liban — and, according to the request, establishes that the Central Bank did not sustain the alleged financial loss. The defense maintains that this casts serious doubt on the factual basis underlying the allegation of embezzlement, given that Banque du Liban itself confirmed that the funds were fully repaid, together with the corresponding returns.
Salameh’s attorney further stated that the investigating judge who questioned him on August 12, 2026, issued an arrest warrant against him without specifying the factual and material grounds relied upon to justify his detention and, according to the defense, without observing the minimum requirements governing pretrial detention under Article 107 of Lebanon’s Code of Criminal Procedure.
The request for release also cited Salameh’s serious health condition, referring to medical reports issued by his treating physicians as well as reports prepared by court-appointed forensic doctors. According to the defense, these reports demonstrate the seriousness of his condition and the potential risks that continued detention could pose to his life and physical well-being.
Salameh’s attorney concluded that, in light of Banque du Liban’s confirmation that it suffered no financial loss from the loans in question, and given Salameh’s health condition, the legal and factual grounds for continuing his pretrial detention no longer exist.
The defense therefore argues that Salameh’s continued detention is disproportionate to the legal purpose of pretrial detention and effectively amounts to a form of punishment before judgment, which, it maintains, is contradicted by the facts of the case.
Accordingly, Salameh is asking the investigating judge to safeguard his rights by addressing what his defense describes as serious violations of Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and by applying Article 111 of the same law, and consequently to order his release.