Lebanon expects visit from Swiss judicial delegation concerning Riad Salameh's file

On Thursday, Switzerland notified Lebanon that a judicial delegation intends to visit Beirut as part of the investigations related to Riad Salameh, the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, according to a judicial source cited by the French news agency AFP.

Switzerland was the first European country to contact Lebanon at the beginning of 2021 as part of investigations into financial transfers related to Salameh, his brother Raja, his assistant Marianne El-Howayek, and affiliated institutions of the central bank. 

Subsequently, France and other countries launched similar investigations.

Moreover, the judicial source stated that Lebanon "was informed by Swiss authorities that a Swiss judicial delegation will soon visit Lebanon to meet with Judge Charbel Abou Samra, who is leading the local investigation and coordinating with European judges, to obtain information that serves the Swiss investigation."

The source also speculated that the Swiss judiciary would follow the path of European countries that conducted hearings in Beirut regarding financial files related to Salameh and his close associates.