Lebanon’s finance minister says difficult to replace cenbank head Riad Salameh.

 Lebanese Finance Minister Youssef Khalil said replacing central bank governor Riad Salameh, who has held the job for three decades, would be difficult and that his term may be extended though no consensus has yet been reached.

Salameh, who is being investigated by European and Lebanese prosecutors for alleged embezzlement of hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds, an accusation he denies, said last week he would not seek a new term. His latest six-year stint ends in July.

“There is no consensus yet and in Lebanon, and especially in this political environment, making a big change like this is difficult. It’s very difficult,” Khalil told Reuters when asked whether discussions on a possible successor had begun.