Former Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh is scheduled to appear before Judge Bilal Halawi, the chief investigating judge in Beirut, on Monday. Salameh faces serious charges including embezzlement, money laundering, and illicit enrichment. These charges have been filed by the Lebanese Public Prosecution, the Financial Prosecution, and the Lebanese State, represented by the Legal Department at the Ministry of Justice.

Salameh, currently detained at the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces since last Tuesday, will be escorted to the Beirut Justice Palace for the interrogation session. Following this session, the Lebanese judiciary has two potential courses of action: issuing an arrest warrant as requested by the Financial Public Prosecution or releasing him on bail if his defense team successfully counters the allegations.

Currently, Salameh is housed in a special cell designed for high-profile detainees within the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces. His detention conditions include an air-conditioned room, a refrigerator, and access to a landline phone, although his personal phone has been confiscated.

Sources revealed to "Al Arabiya.net and Al Hadath.net" that Salameh's legal team has visited him several times in detention and is preparing for Monday’s session with multiple defense attorneys. These sources also clarified that "special reasons" prevented his lawyers from accompanying him to the Justice Palace on the day of his arrest, dismissing claims that they were "shocked" by the arrest and learned about it through the media.

Salameh’s legal troubles extend beyond Lebanese borders. Since July 2021, French authorities have been investigating him and his family members for suspicions related to the illegal transfer of millions of dollars to European banks, alongside allegations of embezzlement, illicit enrichment, and money laundering.

This investigation followed a lawsuit filed by the Association of Victims of Fraud and Crime in Lebanon, based in Paris, against Salameh and his associates for allegedly stealing funds from Lebanese depositors. The lawsuit was filed in collaboration with the Sherpa Association.

Aziz Suleiman, head of the Lebanese association, informed "Al Arabiya.net and Al Hadath.net" that Salameh’s case, along with that of his brother Raja and their associates, is now before the French Court of Cassation. Sherpa’s President, lawyer William Bourdon, is expected to meet with a French judge soon to discuss the case’s developments.

Suleiman noted that the movement of Salameh’s case within the Lebanese judiciary is a response to the accelerated progress of his case in France.

An international arrest warrant has been issued for Salameh following three visits to Beirut by judicial delegations from Germany, France, and Luxembourg. These visits were part of broader investigations involving bankers, financial officials, Salameh, his brother, and his assistant.

"This is the first international warrant issued against a central bank governor, but the Lebanese state has yet to enforce it," Suleiman noted. 

He also emphasized that any decision made by the Lebanese judiciary after Monday’s session will not impact the case's progression in French courts. French authorities have already issued several decisions against Salameh and his associates, resulting in the seizure of their movable and immovable assets.

Since the fall of 2019, Lebanon has faced an unprecedented economic collapse that has severely impacted all sectors and social classes. The country has grappled with a plummeting local currency, a dwindling capacity to provide essential services, and the disappearance of depositors’ funds from banks.

Lebanese citizens view Riad Salameh as the "black box" of a financial era that spanned three decades, leading to the erosion of their savings and worsening economic conditions. Many hope that his trial will signal the beginning of accountability for high-ranking political figures involved in the current financial crisis.