Beirut, May 19 (IANS) Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, who faces domestic and international corruption probes, said that he would step down if any court ruling is issued against him.
He said in an interview with al-Hadath TV on Thursday that despite the judicial procedure is unfair, he is “ready for it,” adding he did not intend to extend his term at the central bank which ends in July, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, Lebanon’s caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh al-Shami called on Salameh to resign, two days after Salameh dismissed an international arrest warrant as “presumptuous ideas”.
The warrant was issued on Tuesday by a French judge over his failure to show up for questioning on corruption charges, with Salameh calling the move “a violation of law”.
Salameh and his associates are being investigated in Lebanon and multiple European countries on suspicion of embezzling more than $330 million from the Lebanese central bank.
The governor, who is blamed for the unprecedented financial crisis in Lebanon, denies embezzlement, money laundering, illicit enrichment and other charges against him.
On many occasions, Salameh has insisted that his wealth comes from his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties, and investments.
Lebanon is reeling under the worst financial crisis in its history as the country has lost billions of dollars in bank deposits, plunging more than 80 per cent of the population into poverty.
–IANS
int/khz/
