Judge Owaidat interrogates wife of HRC Head Ibrahim Bashir

         
Beirut Examining Magistrate Judge Ghassan Owaidat interrogated, for the first time, the wife of Higher Relief Council chief Ibrahim Bashir in his office at the Justice Palace.        

Thursday’s interrogation comes after the judge issued arrest warrants, last month, against Bashir and his wife after they were charged with embezzlement of state funds, smuggling and money laundering.          

Judge Owaidat was not able to interrogate her for being hospitalized.           

On November 8, Bashir denied all allegations raised against him on the backdrop of money smuggling, stating that this matter has a political background.                     

Sources reported that the General Prosecution launched its investigations after it received a report from Lebanon’s Central Bank issued by the Special investigation Commission to combat money laundering.                   

The sources added that the Commission, while tracking money, detected the movement of 10 Million USD, adding that 3.6 Million USD of this amount were transferred to Belarus under the name of Ibrahim Bashir’s wife.            

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati placed Bashir on administrative leave and assigned Major General Mohammad Kheir, the general secretary of the Higher Defense Council as a temporary replacement for the time being.