A Lebanese judge has indicted former Economy Minister Amin Salam on financial charges, in a move that a senior MP said marked an important step on the "path of accountability".
Mr Salam, who served as Minister of Economy and Trade from 2021-2025, is under investigation over claims of embezzlement, forgery, blackmail, bribery, and illicit enrichment.
He is accused alongside his brother Karim, and Elie Abboud, who previously headed the syndicate of certified accountants. All deny the charges, with Mr Salam saying they were “attacks” against him. Their case was referred by Beirut judge Roula Osman to a criminal court.
Farid Al Bustani, who heads the Lebanese Parliament's Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning Committee, said it was an important development "on the path of accountability and strengthening the state of institutions".
Mr Salam was arrested last year following a complaint filed by Mr Bustani's committee amid allegations of “embezzlement, extortion and waste of public funds”.
The committee alleged that Mr Salam awarded overpriced contracts to foreign companies for services that did not justify the costs, and misappropriated funds from the Insurance Companies Contribution Fund, which is overseen by the Economy Ministry.
He was arrested last summer, then released in December on a bail of nine billion Lebanese lira (about $100,000) and imposed a travel ban on him.
Mr Salam served as Economy Minister during the fallout from the 2019 financial crash in Lebanon, described as one of the worst in the modern history by the World Bank, as well as in 2024 during Israel's war on Lebanon.
