On Tuesday, Judge Bilal Halawi, Beirut’s Chief Investigating Judge, conducted interrogations involving several key figures from Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL), including lawyer Marwan Issa al-Khoury, who is the nephew of former BDL governor Riad Salameh. The officials questioned included Pierre Kanaan, the Director of Legal Affairs at the Central Bank, Naaman Naddour, who heads the Foreign Exchange Operations Department, and Majida Machnouk, the Secretary General of the institution.

Later in the day, Khoury faced questioning by Maya Zeghrini, a representative from the Beirut Bar Association. This inquiry followed a request from the Financial Prosecutor’s Office on September 5 to have Khoury’s legal immunity lifted. The Bar Association is expected to convene on Wednesday to decide whether to lift the immunity of both Khoury and lawyer Micky Tueni, who was previously questioned by Judge Halawi on September 12 as a witness. Tueni was also scheduled to appear before Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Ghada Aoun on Tuesday, though sources indicated that no hearing took place. Aoun had previously questioned Tueni about financial transfers under scrutiny by Judge Halawi, and Tueni reportedly promised to provide documents to clear up any concerns.

Riad Salameh’s legal team, led by attorney Marc Habka, is preparing to challenge Prosecutor Aoun’s involvement in the case, arguing that multiple judges should not handle the same case or question the same individuals. Earlier this year, Jamal Hajjar, Head of the Court of Cassation’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, removed Aoun from financial-related cases, instructing her to transfer them to him and preventing the Judicial Police from carrying out her orders, including search and arrest warrants.

Additionally, Judge Helene Iskandar, who leads the State Litigation Department, has been blocked from participating in Judge Halawi’s investigation. The Beirut Indictment Chamber, chaired by Maher Cheaito, denied Iskandar’s request to attend Salameh’s interrogation on September 9. The court’s decision was linked to an ongoing liability claim against the state, which Salameh had filed in August 2023. This led the chamber to refer the case to the president of the Beirut Court of Appeal for the appointment of a suitable judge to review Iskandar’s appeal.

The court’s ruling did not address the involvement of Habib Rizkallah, the president of the Court of Appeal, who is also facing a liability claim filed by Salameh. Rizkallah had previously assigned Judge Ayman Oueidat, the head of the 11th Chamber of the Court of Appeal, to oversee the case, but Oueidat was subsequently drawn into a similar legal action. Before any formal notice was issued, Oueidat delegated the case to Judge Samir Akiki.

In a related matter, Iskandar attempted to join the criminal proceedings launched by the Financial Prosecutor’s Office as a civil party on September 5. However, Judge Halawi rejected her request, citing the need for approval from Finance Minister Youssef Khalil. Although Khalil did not respond to this particular request, L'Orient Today quoted a judicial source as saying that the minister had granted permission in a similar case last year, allowing Iskandar to take the course of action she deemed appropriate.