Lebanese central bank governor says corruption charges false

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s cardinal slope politician said Wednesday that helium asked for an audit of transactions and investments during his tenure and the results showed nary nationalist wealth has been misused.

Reid Salameh, 70, erstwhile praised arsenic the guardian of Lebanon’s fiscal stability, has drawn scrutiny criticized since the tiny country’s economical meltdown began 2 years ago.

He’s being investigated successful Switzerland and France for imaginable wealth laundering and embezzlement. Local media reported successful caller months that Salameh, his member and an adjutant person been progressive successful amerciable businesses, including wealth transfers overseas contempt the superior controls imposed astatine home.

Salameh had repeatedly denied making specified transfers.

Salameh said successful a connection Wednesday that helium was a affluent concern banker earlier helium became the caput of the cardinal slope successful 1993. Since then, helium has been investing and his wealth has luck has been growing.

The economical situation rooted successful decades of corruption and mismanagement is described arsenic 1 of the worst the satellite has witnessed successful much than a century.

In his connection connected Wednesday, Salameh said that the effect of the audit revealed that “not a azygous penny of nationalist money” was utilized to wage for Forry Associates Ltd, that is owned by his brother, Raja.

Salameh said immoderate of his opponents, whom helium did not name, “carried retired a systematic run to mislead the nationalist done spreading mendacious quality that nationalist wealth was used.”

Salameh said the root of his wealthiness is known, adding that helium worked for astir 20 years earlier becoming cardinal slope politician arsenic an concern banker for Merrill Lynch.

He added that his past wage astatine Merrill Lynch was $2 cardinal a twelvemonth and erstwhile helium near the institution had a luck worthy $23 million, positive spot that helium inherited. Salameh said that for the past 28 years, helium has “wisely invested” his wealthiness and his luck has grown.