Sudden Disappearance: Businessman “Salah Fustuq” Leaves Beirut Under Mysterious Circumstances!

Lebanon Today

– Investigative Report

In one of the most controversial cases, where money, corruption, and politics intertwine, Lebanese-Saudi businessman Salah Fustok disappeared from Beirut under mysterious circumstances, despite being judicially wanted and banned from traveling by an administrative decision issued by the Lebanese General Security. The man, known in Gulf circles as the “guardian of Saudi defense deal secrets,” left the country very quietly, while official agencies remained silent, raising serious questions about judicial and security collusion that facilitated his escape.

Fustok, who resided at the “Kempinski” hotel owned by him personally, disappeared about two weeks ago after security forces raided his residence in “Kempinski” and “Zaitunay Bay” without being able to find him. Information indicates that his wife left Lebanon at the beginning of September heading to Switzerland, and that he followed her shortly thereafter, amid the absence of any official clarification on how he left Lebanese territory despite the restrictions imposed on him, and who facilitated his passage through the official border crossings.

Judicial sources confirm to that Salah Fustok has been wanted since 2022 at the request of the Saudi authorities, after his name appeared in international investigations related to the management of a huge financial network linked to armaments contracts for the Saudi National Guard during the reign of the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. Data indicates that he was the main intermediary in major defense deals concluded by the National Guard with Western companies such as the British “GPT” and the American “Harris Corporation,” through his company “ABTSS,” which was used to pass suspicious financial commissions.

British investigations described Fustok as the “commercial arm” of Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, who headed the National Guard before his removal in the “anti-corruption” campaign launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017. This campaign, which put an end to decades of corruption in military and security institutions, made Fustok one of the most prominent names associated with that phase, especially as he oversaw armament contracts worth billions of dollars linking Saudi Arabia with a number of Western companies.

On October 28, 2022, the Saudi authorities issued an international arrest warrant against Salah and his brother Mansour Fustok through Interpol, on charges of involvement in serious financial violations related to defense deals of the National Guard. It is worth noting that Salah Fustok is the father-in-law of Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, son of the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

While Riyadh was seeking to recover and hold him accountable, Lebanon turned into a safe haven for him, benefiting from his Lebanese nationality and a strong network of relationships within the judiciary and politics. Information indicates that a judicial mediator played a role in facilitating his evasion of prosecution, in coordination with Lebanese figures who worked to arrange a “legal settlement” to justify his non-arrest or extradition to the Saudi authorities.

After his disappearance, a number of his associates were questioned, but they refused to provide any information about his whereabouts. The security forces also confiscated his car equipped with a GPS tracking device days after his disappearance, in an attempt to determine the course of his movements before leaving the country, while sources indicate that a file is being prepared to withdraw Lebanese citizenship from him after confirming that he left through illegal means.

The issue is not only about Fustok, but about the nature of the Lebanese state, which seemed incapable – or complicit – in dealing with a file that affects its foreign relations and the trust of its allies. At a time when Saudi Arabia is waging a bold war on corruption and restructuring its financial system with transparency, Lebanon appears to be returning the favor by smuggling and protecting wanted individuals, in a scene that reveals the fragility of the judiciary and the weakness of accountability.

Thus, Salah Fustok left Lebanon as he entered it: with studied calm and coverage from within the state. While Riyadh continues its efforts to recover and hold him accountable, Lebanon remains suspected of complicity in smuggling a man wanted by Interpol, confirming once again that in a country mired in corruption, money is stronger than justice… and escape is easier than accountability.