Lebanon bank targets offshore firm tied to ex-governor Salame

Lebanon’s central bank filed a legal complaint against a former senior official and a former banker for alleged illicit enrichment and embezzlement via offshore shell companies, while joining the state’s probe into British Virgin Islands-based Forry Associates, accused of siphoning commissions from BDL transactions. The case centers on former governor Riad Salameh and his brother Raja, with multi-country investigations (France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg), and findings from a 2023 forensic audit identifying $333 million in transfers to Forry (including a €2.8 million 2012 transfer linked to Salameh). The central bank aims to recover misused funds to bolster liquidity for depositors and plans further legal action against additional parties.