October 6, 2026
The Financial Public Prosecutor, Judge Maher Shaito, shows a serious and resolute approach in pursuing funds transferred abroad since the outbreak of the economic crisis in late 2019, specifically those belonging to bank owners and officials.
In the context of the ongoing investigations, Judge Shaito summoned about 40 bankers, who expressed their willingness to return the money that had been transferred abroad. Those concerned were given varying deadlines to implement this, provided that the recovered amounts are deposited in frozen accounts belonging to their owners, and are subject to the direct custody of the Financial Public Prosecution.
Judicial sources revealed that the value of the amounts scheduled to be recovered so far is estimated at approximately $100 million, with this number likely to rise exponentially as the Public Prosecution completes its investigations over the next few weeks to include all bank owners and officials involved in transferring their money abroad.
In the same context, informed sources indicated that some of those appearing before Judge Shaito initially tried to evade and evade their responsibilities, before they were forced to admit to transferring their accounts abroad. The sources warned that proving attempts at evasion may entail criminal responsibilities that require judicial prosecution, leading to taking measures that may include arrest and prosecution before the competent judiciary.
On the паралле line, the sources explained that the judicial mechanism used to recover the transferred funds may not automatically apply to political officials; Prosecuting them requires a careful legal study that precisely determines the scope of the Public Prosecution’s financial powers in this regard.
This development comes in conjunction with the expectation that the judiciary will receive an official schedule from the Bank of Lebanon that includes the names of politicians who made financial transfers abroad and their value. It is noteworthy that the Bank of Lebanon had previously submitted to the Financial Public Prosecution lists containing the names of the heads and members of the banks’ boards of directors (former and current), and those authorized to sign on their behalf, as well as their wives and children, who made financial transfers abroad during the period extending from the first of July 2019 until the first of January 2023.
