The European delegation decided to return to Lebanon in a new phase of investigations, which it will complete with other witnesses in financial files related to money laundering and tax evasion. There are 18 witnesses, the most prominent of whom is the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, and his relatives, according to what judicial sources revealed to Janoubia. She pointed out that “there is still an inevitable need to hear the latter.”
The new witnesses may be divided into two phases, according to the sources, who clarified that their names were included in a list that the Lebanese judiciary received from the European judicial delegation previously before the start of the first phase of its investigations, which ended today, following nine of the witnesses were subjected to lengthy investigation sessions, provided that the attorney general listened. Discriminatory Mirna Kallas next week to two who previously apologized for not attending and interrogating a suspect later in Luxembourg at his request.
The three countries, France and Germany, and especially Luxembourg, have all the data and information regarding the financial files in which they conducted investigations with Lebanese witnesses.
And while the Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, confirmed following his meeting today with the European judicial delegation, which will leave Beirut tomorrow, that “the Lebanese judiciary respected international anti-corruption treaties and positive law by implementing European judicial assistance.” Sources familiar with the progress of the investigations revealed that “the three countries are France and Germany, especially Luxembourg has all the data and information regarding the financial files in which they conducted investigations with Lebanese witnesses.” She explained that “the file is now ready for European judges regarding forming suspicions of those involved in financial crimes, which may expand following the delegation completes its investigations with others later.”
If the amount of 326 million dollars is correct, then the volume of sales of Eurobonds amounts to 90 billion dollars, and the last amount has not been traded before.
In this case, following the Lebanese judiciary has been informed of the prosecution of defendants abroad, it summons them and informs them of the content of the claim, and it can issue an arrest warrant once morest them or leave them, but that depends on the availability of data once morest them.
The sources questioned the validity of the $326 million amount, which is suspected to have resulted entirely from a commission for the Governor of the Banque du Liban, through the sale of Eurobond bonds through the “Fawry” brokerage company. In this case, the Eurobond amounts to 90 billion dollars, and the last amount has not been traded before.
The purpose of the investigations as a whole is to prove the occurrence of money laundering operations, and from this it aims to place its hand on the money and real estate resulting from this crime abroad.
And at a time when the sources confirmed that the questions of the European delegation to the witnesses were specific and answered by those concerned without registering any objection to them, the sources considered that the purpose of the investigations as a whole is to prove that money laundering operations took place, and from that aims to place its hand on the money and real estate resulting from this crime Abroad, while Lebanon was requested through the Cases Authority in the Ministry of Justice to intervene to freeze these funds and real estate in favor of the Lebanese state.
As a result of the investigations of the European judicial delegation in its first phase, the Public Prosecution Office at the Court of Cassation issued a statement stating:
Today, Friday, 1/20/2023, the Public Prosecution Office of the Court of Cassation completed the implementation of requests for judicial assistance addressed to it by the countries of France, Germany and Luxembourg, within diplomatic frameworks, in investigation cases of financial transfers made in those countries.
The work began with a meeting held on Monday morning, January 16, 2023. The Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, gathered a joint European judicial investigation team that included French investigative judges Aude Burezi and Serge Tournaire, Financial Advocate General Quentin Dandoy, Luxembourg investigative judge Martine Kraus, and a number of investigators, during which they agreed on Working procedures.
Accordingly, and on the authority of the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Judge Amelie Myrna Kallas, presided over the hearings for the witnesses, including two former deputy governors of the Banque du Liban, in addition to directors of the Bank of Lebanon, Lebanese bankers, and an auditor, following completing the Central Criminal Investigation Department headed by Colonel Nicolas Saad informed them duly, and the department also partnered with the Information Division – Strike Force in the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces and the Special Group in the Judicial Police to work to secure security protection for delegations and the courtroom and its surroundings.
The sessions were held in secret in the presence of the joint investigation team from the three requesting countries and the Public Defender, Judge Imad Qablan, and the procedures stipulated in the Lebanese laws were followed.
The sessions extended over a period of five days in the Great Hall of the Court of Cassation, where the two judicial assistants, Camellia Barbara and Fatima Muad, were called upon to print the arrest reports, copies of which will be deposited by the requesting authorities in accordance with the applicable diplomatic principles. for the German language.
In conclusion, an evaluation meeting was held with the Cassation Public Prosecutor, and the judicial delegations expressed their full readiness to implement the requests that Lebanon directs to them in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.
This judicial cooperation falls within the framework of Lebanon’s implementation of its obligations under the United Nations Convention once morest Corruption and the Lebanese internal laws.
On its last day, the delegation listened to the statements of Raya Al-Hassan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of the Mediterranean, and Ramzi Akkawi, a money auditor in a private money auditing company, in the presence of their lawyers.
Thus, the delegation would have listened, at this stage, to the directors of three banks only and the others from the deputies of the ruler, including former employees of the Central Bank and financial auditors.
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