The judge overseeing the investigation into Lebanon’s embattled central bank governor Riad Salameh is seeking to question actress Stephanie Saliba, she told The National on Thursday,
“We are looking into the origin of the funds he used to buy her expensive gifts and luxurious properties,” Judge Ghada Aoun said.
In March, Mr Salameh and his brother, Raja Salameh, were charged with illicit enrichment.
The judge ordered the arrest of the latter, who was detained for nearly two months before he was released on bail of about 100 billion Lebanese pounds ($3.7 million).
Saliba is known to be a close acquaintance of the central bank chief. She has starred in popular TV series Above the Clouds and Moment of Silence and has 2.3 million Instagram followers.
Ms Aoun issued the order to bring the actress in for questioning last week, Reuters reported, but security forces had yet to enact it.
Once praised as the man who kept Lebanon’s banking sector thriving, Mr Salameh is now facing investigations into his personal wealth in at least five European countries.
As part of these probes, the EU's Hague-based criminal justice agency last March froze €120 million ($124.3 million) worth of assets belonging to him and his entourage.
Last week, the investigative journal Mediapart reported that French prosecutors had indicted a former partner of Mr Salameh for criminal conspiracy, organised money laundering and aggravated tax fraud laundering.
Anna Kosakova, a Ukrainian woman who lives in France and has a daughter with the central bank governor, is the first person to be prosecuted in the case.
A spokesman for Lebanon's Central Bank did not reply to a request for comment, but Mr Salameh has repeatedly denied allegations of corruption.
He said that his wealth, which he estimates at $23 million, has been lawfully acquired and that it comes from his investments made as a banker before becoming central bank governor in 1993.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
