Stephanie Saliba emptied two apartments in central Beirut on Friday after being questioned about a bank account linked to V-INVEST, a company suspected of channelling funds for former central bank governor Riad Salameh.
Two moving trucks arrived at the Skyline building in Achrafieh early on Friday 7 August and removed furniture from two residential apartments owned by actress Stephanie Saliba. Saliba, who had a relationship with former central bank governor Riad Salameh, had been interrogated repeatedly on financial suspicions. A judicial source confirmed to this outlet that Saliba was recently questioned over a bank account of hers connected to V-INVEST, a company suspected of being used by Salameh to conduct financial transfers. She was left under investigation.
The destination of the trucks was not identified by building residents. One neighbor noted that Saliba's departure occurred shortly after Lebanese courts issued an arrest warrant against Salameh, though the apartment is registered in Saliba's name rather than Salameh's. Some residents reported seeing her recently in Dubai.
Judge Ghada Aoun had previously valued Saliba's two-apartment home at over $2 million. In a report to the first investigative judge in Mount Lebanon, Aoun stated that Saliba, born in 1986, acknowledged a romantic relationship with Salameh, born in 1950, who gave her money and apartments. Salameh purchased one apartment for her in 2017 in the Beit Mask complex in Sahel al-Metein for $650,000. Saliba owned two apartments on the 18th floor of the Skyline building with a combined area of 500 square meters.
Aoun requested that Bank of Lebanon and the Gulf lift banking secrecy on Saliba's accounts to determine the source of her funds, but the bank refused. The judge noted that Saliba paid $100,000 in cash toward her apartment's reconstruction after the Beirut port explosion, at a time when other residents paid in bank checks and Lebanese banks were restricting access to deposits.
The interrogation of Saliba centers on V-INVEST, part of a network of commission companies through which Salameh allegedly moved funds. The central bank is pursuing claims that V-INVEST generated $70 million in commissions from securities trading. According to investigation files, Salameh used the bank accounts of two women, Marian al-Hawik and Saliba, to channel these commissions from the same company despite tensions between them.
The investigation into V-INVEST includes allegations that Saliba and al-Hawik received gifts from Salameh consisting of a Porsche and a Jaguar respectively, purchased using company accounts. The company began financial transfer activities in 2016, after Fouri, a previous transfer company managed by Salameh's brother Raja Salameh, had closed.
The company is originally registered in a tax haven as a maritime shipping business under the name of a member of the Daouk family and has no stated connection to money transfers or banking accounts. A judicial source indicated that many people benefited from transfers through the company, not only Saliba and al-Hawik. The company's account was held at Bank of Resources, owned by Marwan Khair al-Din, known for his proximity to Salameh, and Raja Salameh managed this account.
Salameh, currently imprisoned, faces trial on charges related to three companies: Fouri with $330 million in alleged transfers, Optimum with $110 million, and V-INVEST with $70 million. Beyond the main trial, investigations may lead to separate proceedings against beneficiaries including Saliba, al-Hawik, and others described by a judicial source as major names.
Saliba's apartment departure follows a pattern of sudden relocations linked to the investigation into Salameh. About two years ago, she abruptly left a rented apartment in the Beirut Terraces building in central Beirut, which was more luxurious than Skyline, after Lebanese courts began questioning her. Neighbors were puzzled by her departure without notice. Her current move suggests she may be anticipating further developments in the V-INVEST investigation rather than any asset freeze targeting Salameh's holdings. The investigation into the three commission companies continues as courts proceed with Salameh's prosecution.
