Switzerland requests legal assistance from Lebanon in central bank investigation

The Swiss office of the attorney general (OAG) said on Tuesday it had requested mutual legal assistance from the Lebanese authorities related to an investigation into money laundering and possible embezzlement tied to Lebanon's central bank. "This request comes in the context of an OAG investigation for aggravated money laundering in connection with possible embezzlement to the detriment of the Banque du Liban," the attorney general's office said in an emailed statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lebanon's central bank governor Riad Salameh denied any wrongdoing after a Lebanese government official told Reuters the Swiss authorities had opened an investigation into money transfers by him, his brother and an assistant.