BEIRUT (Reuters), – The governor of the central bank in Lebanon said Thursday that a judge who was leading one of his investigations into him was biased. She had imposed a travel ban against him earlier this week. Riad Salmeh has denied any wrongdoing in his nearly three-decade tenure as the head of the central bank. He is currently being investigated in Lebanon and at most four European countries. This investigation comes after he was implicated in the 2019 economic crash in Lebanon. On Thursday, Judge Ghada Aoun (who is leading one of the Lebanese probes) imposed a travel ban for Salameh. According to a source, her probe covered fraud and abuse of public money. Salameh stated in a statement that he has shown respect to the judiciary through his appearances before judges. He also said that the purpose of the lawsuits against Salameh was to “distort” my image, both before the public and overseas.

Salameh who is supported by several politicians said Aoun used her private Twitter account (NYSE;) in a “hostile fashion” against him. He also criticised other aspects. of the investigation. According to simple legal rules it’s impossible for a judge and an arbiter to act at the same moment,” he stated in the statement, in which he claimed he submitted a request to remove Aoun from the case. Aoun has not yet responded to my request for comment.

Even though the economy was ravaged by massive debts and the currency collapsed, the governor has not resigned. Many Lebanese are now living in poverty.