Lebanon's billionaire prime minister denies allegations of money laundering in France

PARIS (AP) — Lebanon's billionaire caretaker prime minister has denied allegations of money laundering after a complaint was filed in France by two anti-corruption groups this week.

The complaint against Najib Mikati was formally filed Tuesday with France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s office by French anti-corruption non-governmental organization Sherpa and the Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices.

Sherpa said the objective is to “shed light on the conditions under which Lebanese political figures like Najib Mikati accumulated considerable wealth and on the role of financial intermediaries who facilitated these acquisitions.”

No details were immediately available about the sums of money allegedly involved.

The group said it drew the attention of French prosecutors to the conditions under which Mikati “has accumulated significant assets in France. The complaint also questions the origin of the funds that transited through the French banking system.”

Mikati said in a statement published Wednesday by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency that he and members of his family have always acted in accordance with the law. He defended the family's “integrity” and said its business is characterized by “complete transparency.”

French prosecutors have yet to decide whether to launch an investigation.

One of the richest men in Lebanon, Mikati, 68, has served as prime minister since 2021.

He founded the telecommunications company Investcom with his brother Taha in the 1980s and sold it in 2006 to South Africa’s MTN Group for $5.5 billion.

FILE-The Paris courthouse is pictured Monday, July 12, 2021 in Paris. Lebanon's billionaire caretaker prime minister has denied all allegations of money laundering after a complaint was filed in France by two anti-corruption groups this week. The complaint against Najib Mikati was formally filed Tuesday to France's National Financial Prosecutor's office by French anti-corruption non-governmental organization Sherpa and the Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)

FILE - Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a conference announcing a French reconstruction plan for the Beirut Port, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Mikati has denied all allegations of money laundering after a complaint was filed in France by two anti-corruption groups this week. The complaint against Najib Mikati was formally filed Tuesday, April 2, 2024, to France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s office by French anti-corruption non-governmental organization Sherpa and the Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that he will stress the need for a rules-based international order in the face of global challenges and tensions when he attends a meeting of the Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

Kishida began a six-day trip abroad in Paris, where he is scheduled to give a keynote speech on Thursday, the first of a two-day OECD ministerial meeting, which will be chaired by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

“I would like to stress that Japan will take a leading role in creating and strengthening a free, fair and rules-based international economic order,” Kishida told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda international airport.

Kishida said he also plans to step up an effort to support emerging countries, especially those in the Indo-Pacific region, to join the OECD, whose 38 member nations are mostly developed Western economies. Japan and South Korea are the only two East Asia members, and both Indonesia and Thailand want to join the OECD.

Kishida is also expected to propose a multinational framework to discuss the development and use of AI and its spread of disinformation.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of Japan's joining of the OECD.

Kishida will also visit Brazil and Paraguay, as Japan seeks to deepen relations with emerging and developing nations that Tokyo considers share common values and democratic principles.

Brazil chairs the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging-market nations.

Kishida said he hopes to discuss cooperation in economy, space, information and communication between Japan and Paraguay when he hold talks with Paraguayan President Santiago Pena.

Kishida said he is also bringing a 170-member business mission that includes executives from 50 companies to the two South American nations.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at his office in Tokyo Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Kishida acknowledged Tuesday that his governing party's major defeat in the weekend's by-elections was due to a slush fund scandal, but said he would not step down or replace party executives to take responsibility. (Kyodo News via AP)