A French investigating magistrate on Tuesday issued an international arrest warrant for Lebanon's central bank chief Riad Salameh, a source close to the case said.

Salameh earlier failed to appear for questioning by French investigators who want to know how he amassed sizeable assets across Europe, his lawyer said.

The investigators suspect Salameh of building his network of real estate and banking assets with the help of a complex fraudulent financial system and extensive misuse of Lebanese public funds during his three decades as central bank boss.