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French financial prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into Lebanon’s former prime minister Najib Mikati and his brother Taha over allegations they built their fortune through fraud and money laundering, according to anti-corruption groups.
The probe stems from a complaint filed in April 2024 by Sherpa, a Paris-based anti-corruption NGO, and the Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices in Lebanon, accusing the Mikatis of systematically using offshore companies and acquiring illicit assets in France.
“The opening of this preliminary investigation demonstrates the French justice system’s willingness to look into these acquisitions and the origin of the funds that allegedly passed through the French banking system,” Sherpa said in a statement to OCCRP.
The Mikati family has acknowledged the investigation but denied wrongdoing, insisting in a statement that “[its] wealth is clear, legal, and transparent. It is the fruit of decades of international work and investments in diverse sectors, prior to our assuming any public duties or responsibilities in Lebanon.” They said they have not been formally notified by French authorities and learned of the case only through the media.
Sherpa founder and lawyer William Bourdon told OCCRP that “under French law, there is no provision requiring the public prosecutor’s office to notify the persons named in a complaint of the filing of a complaint or the opening of an investigation,” adding that the family’s lawyers “are well aware of the fact.” He said the case involves “complex facts, some of which are transnational” and could take many months, “perhaps more than a year.”
“The core issue is to examine the responsibility of all those involved, thereby paving the way for the restitution of misappropriated assets. At a time when the country is undergoing a collapse of historic proportions, the imperative of returning these funds to the victims must remain central to the debate,” Sherpa added.
Mikati, 69, has repeatedly led Lebanon’s government, most recently serving as prime minister from 2021 until January 2025. His brother Taha came under scrutiny in 2022 when a Liechtenstein judge opened an inquiry into money transfers between companies owned by Lebanon’s former central bank governor, Riad Salame—now under investigation in six countries—and the ex-premier’s brother.
According to William Bourdon, the same investigative services that handled the Salame case are working on the Mikati probe and “already possess a fairly detailed understanding of the connections among the various players.”
