Wassim Ghawi, lawyer for former Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh, has asked Beirut’s First Investigating Judge Rola Othman to release his client, citing legal grounds and information related to two loans and Salameh’s health. The request came more than a month and a half after Salameh was detained on July 31, 2026, by the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, before being formally detained on August 12 under a detention request issued by the appellate public prosecution.
Repayment of Bank Audi’s two loans and their interest
According to the lawyer, the second loan, granted in 2014, was also fully repaid in 2016, with interest of 6.5%. He considered the return of the amounts of both loans to the central bank, together with the interest, a key element supporting the request for release.
Objections to the grounds for pretrial detention
Ghawi objected to the procedures related to pretrial detention, saying that the detention order issued after Salameh’s interrogation on August 12 did not, according to the request, state the factual and material grounds on which the decision was based. He said the requirements of Article 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure had not been sufficiently observed. The request also cited reports from Salameh’s treating doctors and reports by forensic doctors appointed by the judiciary.
The lawyer said the reports indicated that his client’s health was precarious and that continued detention could pose potential risks.
Ghawi asked the investigating judge to release Salameh under Articles 107 and 111 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, arguing that the information concerning repayment of the two loans and his health warranted reconsideration of his continued pretrial detention.
