German prosecutors said Thursday they had seized assets worth around 35 million euros ($42 million) as part of a money-laundering probe targeting Lebanon’s former central bank governor Riad Salameh and four other people. Salameh headed Lebanon’s central bank between 1993 and 2023 and has faced numerous accusations including embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion in separate probes in Lebanon and abroad. The funds originated from financial transactions between the Lebanese central bank and commercial banks in Lebanon. International cooperation and falloutGerman prosecutors opened their investigation in 2021 and have been working with investigators from France and Luxembourg. He was arrested in Lebanon in 2024 and indicted in April 2025 for allegedly embezzling $44 million from the central bank.