The Riad Salameh Affair: Seeing the Speck in Your Neighbor's Eye…

It is astonishing, puzzling, disconcerting – even strange and paradoxical – that one still encounters today the same reductive, partisan narratives, published by an agenda-driven press and amplified across social media, at a time when the country is facing critical developments both domestically and internationally, and when its fate has been sorely tested for decades.

Regrettably, this is hardly a first. We are witnessing media manipulation aimed at creating a diversion and deflecting attention from the pressing issues of the day – chief among them a merciless war that is dragging the country towards total destruction and plunging it into an unprecedented socioeconomic and financial abyss.

This entire saga, which in the end is hardly surprising, has a distinctly familiar ring to it. It is a resounding, well-rehearsed refrain, reflecting an unmistakable determination to undermine and destroy through relentless repetition the reputation of former Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh and his brother Raja. And once again, the story is seasoned with fresh references to HSBC’s role.

Riad Salameh is thus cast as the man responsible for the collapse and breakdown of Lebanon’s financial and economic system. It is easy enough, indeed, to bombard public opinion with this refrain after years of media manipulation on the Lebanese political stage concerning the billions of dollars squandered – and perhaps misappropriated – through government ministries under resolutions adopted by successive cabinets, approved by Parliament, and then, alas, all too often forgotten.

In this bleak and murky climate, which often borders on obsession, little seems capable of stirring either concern or even measured thought, so thoroughly are minds held captive by their own fixations. The French daily Le Monde, citing Riad Salameh’s lawyers, reports that he was able to acquire his real estate holdings thanks the substantial income he earned while serving as a financial adviser at Merrill Lynch, prior to his appointment as Governor of the Banque du Liban. Yet this detail, as reported by the French newspaper, vanishes into thin air, like autumn leaves falling to the ground.

The same applies when the former governor’s lawyer submits documented evidence to the courts, establishing the origin and provenance of the funds behind his various investments. Should we not, at the very least, allow justice to take its course before rushing to level baseless accusations?

Speaking of justice, is it not, in fact, striking that this emblematic institution of the state refrains from prosecuting certain political leaders and party chiefs who bear heavy responsibility – and this is no secret to anyone – for failures in security management, in the administration of justice, and in state spending on social welfare, electricity, and education? This, not to mention certain fictitious civil or religious associations, or the billions of dollars that have evaporated in subsidies for fuel, wheat, and other foodstuffs.

Let us not, therefore, be taken in by this media manipulation or by the deliberate choice of this disingenuous political timing, which is – it bears repeating – anything but coincidental. If the purpose of blaming a senior official is to bring drown upon him the wrath of heaven and international sanctions, let us at least have the courage and the decency to acknowledge that Riad Salameh is the ONLY person, to this day, to have paid the price. And even then, he is far from out of the woods. Let us therefore leave it to justice to do its work and render its judgment in a calm and orderly environment, without depriving the former governor of his right to defend himself.

To close this chapter on a humble note, it would be fitting to recall a well-known saying: “If you seek to see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, you must first have the honesty to see the plank in your own.” It is fair to say that this saying merits reflection today.

*Antoine Menassa is the President and Founder of the Association of Lebanese Businessmen in France (HALFA – Association des hommes d’affaires libanais en France).