French investigators have opened a corruption inquiry into former Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati, lawyers who made the formal complaint said Sunday.<\/p>\n
Mikati, a 69-year-old billionaire telecoms tycoon, was prime minister until January this year. He was also premier between 2011 and 2014.<\/p>\n
The Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices in Lebanon and the anti-corruption group Sherpa, which announced the inquiry, first made a complaint against Mikati in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n The groups accused Mikati and his brother, Taha Mikati, of fraudulently building up their fortune.<\/p>\n The National Financial Prosecutor’s office did not immediately comment on the claim of a formal inquiry. But the Mikati family indirectly confirmed the investigation in a statement that rejected the charges.<\/p>\n “The origin of the Mikati family patrimony is clear, legal and transparent,” said the statement.<\/p>\n “We have full trust in the independence and rigour of French justice and are ready to provide any complementary information requested.”<\/p>\n The lawyers’ groups had already sought action against the former head of Lebanon’s Central Bank, Riad Salameh<\/a>, who has been jailed in Lebanon for a year. Salameh is now wanted on fraud and corruption charges by French authorities while his brother, Raja Salameh, has been formally charged in France.<\/p>\n