Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated on Friday that Monaco has concluded a three-year investigation into himself and his family regarding corruption allegations. The investigation was closed due to lack of evidence, according to Mikati’s office. The investigations were initiated after certain “Lebanese entities” provided information about illicit enrichment and money laundering involving Mikati and his family members.
In a letter obtained by Reuters, Monaco’s deputy public prosecutor, Morgan Raymond, informed Mikati’s legal team about the closure of the investigation. Raymond stated that the charges of money laundering seemed to be unfounded. The public prosecution office of Monaco did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
A Lebanese news organization called Daraj had published a report in 2021 on the “Pandora Papers,” which consisted of leaked documents claiming to expose offshore transactions involving global political and business figures. In its report, Daraj alleged that Mikati owned an offshore company in Panama named Hessvile, through which he had bought a property in Monaco worth 7 million euros ($7.56 million).
Mikati, who is one of the wealthiest individuals in Lebanon, responded by stating that his family’s wealth is derived from a legitimate telecommunications business that has undergone previous audits. The exchange rate is $1 = 0.9264 euro.
Reporting by Laila Bassam, additional reporting by Tassilo Hummel in Paris; Writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Christina Fincher and Jonathan Oatis
Credit: The Star : News Feed
