3 EU Countries Seize $130 Million in Assets Over Money Laundering in Lebanon

Three European Union countries – France, Germany and Luxembourg – have seized more than $130 million in assets and properties linked to a probe into money laundering in Lebanon. The EU justice agency known as Eurojust, or the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation which is based in the Hague, said in a statement on Monday that the investigation is centered against five suspects suspected of embezzling public funds in Lebanon for amounts of more than $330 million and 5 million euros between 2002 and 2021. The seizures come a week after the first charge was brought against Lebanon’s longtime central bank governor, Riad Salameh, for illegal enrichment and money laundering during the country’s crushing economic crisis.