BEIRUT: Former Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh was transferred to prison on Saturday after being placed under police guard in a hospital, a judicial official told AFP.
Salameh, who fell ill earlier this week on his way to court to face embezzlement charges, “was admitted and placed among the detainees” in prison following a judge’s order, the official said, requesting anonymity.
The official added that Salameh’s health “will remain under close observation, and should his condition require medical treatment or transfer to a hospital, the appropriate legal and medical measures will be taken as necessary.”
Salameh had been due to appear in court on Thursday in connection with a complaint filed by new central bank governor Karim Soueid accusing him of embezzlement, illicit enrichment and money laundering.
When he failed to appear, a judge directed authorities to escort him to court. Instead Salameh decided to go voluntarily but fell ill en route, and the judiciary postponed the hearing, according to another judicial official.
