BEIRUT – Former Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh was released on Friday after posting bail of $14 million, one of the highest amounts ever set in the country, as he faces multiple corruption charges.

Salameh, 75, had been in detention for more than a year on accusations of embezzlement, forgery and illicit enrichment. He has consistently denied wrongdoing. A court decision accompanying his release also barred him from leaving Lebanon for one year.

The former governor is accused of siphoning around $42 million from Banque du Liban through dealings with the brokerage firm Optimum. The case is separate from an ongoing probe into Forry Associates, a company linked to him, which investigators allege was used to divert hundreds of millions of dollars abroad.

Salameh’s release comes as Lebanon continues to suffer the consequences of a financial collapse that began in 2019, which devastated the banking sector and left most depositors unable to access their savings. Once credited with keeping the country’s currency stable, Salameh has since become a central figure in the country’s economic crisis.

Beyond Lebanon, Salameh also faces international scrutiny. French prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant against him, while authorities in several European states have frozen assets tied to him and his relatives.