European investigators question Lebanon central bank chief’s aide in a fraud investigation

 

An assistant to the governor of the central bank of Lebanon was questioned by European investigators in Beirut on Thursday as part of a probe into whether the governor misappropriated and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in public monies, according to local media and a judicial source.

In Lebanon and at least five other European nations, Governor Riad Salameh is under investigation for allegedly skimming $300 million from the central bank over a decade alongside his brother.

A schedule for the European investigators, which Reuters was able to view, indicated that Marianne Houayek, 42, a longstanding assistant to the governor, was going to be questioned as a suspect.

Houayek's attorney did not answer right away to a request for comment on Thursday, and they have not yet responded to any similar inquiries from the media.

Both brothers Salameh have denied wrongdoing. Riad Salameh claims he is being used as a scapegoat for Lebanon's 2019 financial crisis.

According to a French court document obtained by Reuters, accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg were ultimately used to transfer up to $5 million euros from the central bank to Houayek.

In a 2021 Swiss request for legal help from Lebanese authorities, Houayek is also referenced. According to Swiss officials, she was the recipient of money that was stolen from the central bank to the harm of the Lebanese state.

After questioning the governor in Beirut in March, the European investigators came back on Monday for more sessions.

Raja Salameh, the governor's brother, was scheduled to be questioned as part of the investigation on Tuesday and Wednesday, but he failed to show up and his attorney announced that he would be unavailable for one week due to health issues.

The governor, his brother, and Houayek have not yet been formally and publicly charged in the European countries under investigation despite being accused of financial crimes in two different cases in Lebanon.