ﺳﻼﻣﺔ رﯾﺎض
Riad Salameh was the head of the Central Bank of Lebanon from 1993 to 2023. After enjoying great renown for several years, and being considered as the “Magician” of finance, he started to be associated with the country’s bankruptcy due to his numerous financial manipulations. The Pandora Papers and later investigations revealed the existence of offshore accounts and companies belonging to Riad and his brother Raja [1]. Following a complaint lodged in France in June 2021 by a group of victims of the Lebanese banks and the NGO Sherpa, several international investigations were launched and accused them of money laundering and embezzlement. An international arrest warrant has been issued for Riad in 2023. He and his associates allegedly diverted 300 million dollars through a complex network of shell companies to invest in European real estate [2]. The United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States coordinated to target him and 3 of his associates with economic sanctions [3].
Information
| IDENTIFYING INFORMATION | Former Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17/07/1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Antélias, Lebanon |
| NATIONALITY | Lebanon ; France |
| COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE | Lebanon |
| FULL NAME | Riad Toufic Salameh |
| FIRST AND MIDDLE NAME(S) | Riad Toufic |
| ALIASES | Riad Salame, Riad Salamé, Riad bin Tawfiq Salamah, Riyad Tawfeek Salameh, Riyad Salimi |
| FAMILY MEMBERS | Raja Salameh - Brother Toufik Salameh - Father Renée Romanos - Mother Nada Salameh - wife Nady Salameh - Son Noor Salameh - Daughter Rana Salameh - Daughter Reem Salameh - Daughter Marwan Issa El Khoury - Nephew |
| FAMILY MEMBERS SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS | Raja Salameh - brother Nady Salameh - son |
| SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED OVERSEAS PROPERTIES | Commercial and residential properties in London among which a 3.5 million pound worth apartment bought through a Panama shell company and now owned by his on Nady; five commercial buildings in London, Birmingham, and Bristol; commercial properties and four parking spaces in Central Munich; three apartments in Manhattan ; three floors of an office space on the iconic Champs Elysées worth a combined 8.8 million euros ($9.6 million); two apartments in Paris’s affluent Neuilly-sur-Seine neighborhood; and another two apartments in the 16th arrondissement of the capital [1] |
| SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED LINKS TO LEGAL ENTITIES | Fulwood Invest S.a.r.l. , BR 209 Invest S.A., Stockwell Investissement S.A., Merrion Capital, Naranore Limited, Nomihold Securities Inc |
| ESTIMATES OF ASSETS FROZEN OR CONFISCATED | 120 million euros frozen in 2022 in Germany, France and Luxembourg [1] |
| SANCTIONS REGIMES | Canada Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act [1] ; UK Global anti-corruption sanctions [2] |
| START OF SANCTIONS | 04.08.2023 [1] ; 10.08.2023 [2] |