On Thursday, the Appellate Public Prosecutor in Beirut, Judge Raja Hamoush, charged Ali Salama, his brother Raja and Marianne Al-Hawik, Salama’s assistant, and everyone whom the investigation showed, with crimes of embezzlement of public funds, forgery, use of counterfeits, illegal enrichment, money laundering, and violation of tax law.
The file with the defendants was referred to the First Investigating Judge Beirut Charbel Abu Samra, asking them to be interrogated and to issue the necessary judicial warrants against them.
Commenting on this, Riad Salameh said in a statement to Reuters: “As I mentioned earlier, I am innocent of these charges.”
He added, “The new accusations are not an indictment,” stressing that he “will abide by the judicial procedures after these accusations.”
Salameh continued, “I respect the laws and the judicial system and will abide by the procedures. As you know, a person is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.”
It is noteworthy that these charges come after an 18-month investigation.
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