Lebanese actress Stephanie Saliba has been detained as part of a corruption investigation into the governor of the country's central bank, it has been reported.
Saliba was held by Financial Attorney General Eman Abdallah after questioning by financial prosecutor Ali Ibrahim, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
This came after the judge overseeing the investigation into central bank governor Riad Salameh issued a search warrant as part of the probe.
Judge Ghada Aoun confirmed to The National on Thursday that she ordered Saliba to be brought in for questioning, as the judiciary suspected Mr Salameh of using misappropriated money to buy the actress gifts and properties.
Mr Salameh denies accusations of corruption.
Saliba — star of popular TV series Above the Clouds and Moment of Silence and who has 2.3 million Instagram followers — is said to be a close acquaintance of Mr Salameh.
But Ms Aoun denied local news reports that an arrest warrant had been issued for Saliba.
“This is a provisory detention, which is part of an ongoing investigation into Mr Salameh's personal wealth,” said lawyer Wadih Akl, a member of the political bureau of the Free Patriotic Movement political party.
“Anyone subjected to a search warrant must be brought in and questioned.
“She should now be transferred to Ms Aoun for further questioning as she is the one with the evidence. The judge will then decide to release or arrest her.”
Once hailed as the man who kept Lebanon's banking sector flourishing, Mr Salameh is now facing investigations in Lebanon and at least five European countries into the alleged embezzlement of more than $300 million and €5 million.
Mr Salameh has been partly blamed for the 2019 economic meltdown that has pushed most of the population into poverty, after decades of corruption and nepotism among the elite.
As part of these money laundering investigations, the EU's criminal justice co-operation agency Eurojust last March seized €120 million ($124.3 million) worth of assets belonging to Mr Salameh and his entourage.
Last week, the investigative journal Mediapart reported that French prosecutors had indicted a former partner of Mr Salameh, Anna Kosakova, for criminal conspiracy, organised money laundering and aggravated tax fraud laundering.
Mr Salameh denies any wrongdoing. 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.
Saliba did not respond to requests for comment.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
HWJN
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
