Furthermore, Abou Samra, who is in charge of the case, decided to schedule a session for Salameh's interrogation on March 15 as Salameh continues to "create" new debts for the Lebanese state, the most recent of which was a debt for $16.5 billion.
Interrogation session
Judge Raja Hamoush, the Public Prosecutor of Appeal in Beirut, had accused Riad Salameh, his assistant Marianne Howayek, his brother Raja Salameh, and everyone else whom the investigation had revealed to be involved, of a long list of financial crimes, including forgery, embezzlement of public funds, breaking tax laws, illegal enrichment, and money laundering.
The case was then handed over to Judge Abou Samra, who received it at the end of February and started reviewing it to decide when the interrogation would take place.
Riad Salameh, Raja Salameh, and Marianne Howayek were to be interrogated as defendants in mid-March based on the investigations Abou Samra reviewed. Assuming that not all defendants would come and that their attorneys will be sufficient, the question now is whether Salameh will do so or seek the help of his lawyer.
The German delegation
Meanwhile, the European judicial delegation, which included investigators from France, Germany, and Luxembourg, visited Lebanon on January 16 and spoke with prominent financiers and bankers as part of its probe. Before delivering its final reports, the delegation completed the first stage of its inquiry. It will now move on to the second, during which it will interview 18 people, including Riad Salameh and his brother, about corruption and money laundering allegations.
The delegation was meant to travel to Beirut at the beginning of March to finish its investigations. Still, no contact was made with the Lebanese judiciary.
This as information made available to al-Modon said, however, that a German court request demanding agreement on a date for the second phase of the investigation had arrived at the Palace of Justice in Beirut and had been forwarded to Raja Hamoush, the Appeal Public Prosecutor, who is then supposed to forward it to Abou Samra, the first investigating judge.
The latter must respond to this delegation, which currently has several options.
According to the provisions of the International Convention against Corruption, either he denies the delegation's request and asks to postpone the visit date owing to the Lebanese claim against Salameh, which is expected, or he permits the delegation to attend the interrogation session scheduled for mid-March.
Judge Helena Iskandar, the head of the Cases Authority at the Ministry of Justice, went to prosecute Salameh concurrently with the judicial activities inside the Palace of Justice.
It is a normal procedure for preserving Lebanese rights from Salameh's money if he is convicted.
Some people familiar with the case openly express their hope that the Lebanese prosecution will serve the Lebanese state's interests rather than serving as Salameh's shield from European probes.
Also, they assume that the Lebanese investigation will go a long way if some parties deliberately stall.
If this happens, the case may take months until Judge Abou Samra's retirement period, probably between July and October. After that, the case will be given to another judge to examine.
The first floor of the Palace of Justice will be the focus of attention on Wednesday in mid-March to confirm Salameh's presence or absence as Lebanon enters its fourth year of economic collapse, and the Lebanese currency collapses against the US dollar, fluctuating at the threshold of 80,000 pounds.