Lebanon PM charged over Beirut port explosion that killed nearly 200 people and injured 6,500 others
LEBANON’S caretaker prime minister and three former ministers have been charged over the devastating explosion in Beirut that killed more than 200 people and injured 6,500 more in August.
The four politicians are charged with negligence leading to death after a months-long probe into the massive blast that rocked Lebanon’s capital city on August 4.
Judge Fadi Sawan, investigating the deadly explosion at the port of Beirut, today filed the charges against caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab, who will appear as a defendant in the case on Monday.
Former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as former ministers of public works, Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos, have also been charged and will appear before the judge next week.
Shocking scenes from Beirut showed buildings ripped apart as families desperately searched for their loved ones, while the walking wounded were tended in the streets.
A fireball filled the sky over the port – the site of the blast – as the sound of the explosion could be heard 110 miles away in Cyprus.
Diab’s “conscience is clear”, said a statement from his office, which added he had dealt with the explosion issue in a “responsible and transparent” manner.
“This surprising targeting goes beyond the person to the position per se, and Hassan Diab will not allow the premiership to be targeted by any party,” the statement said.
Diab’s office indicated the prime minister would not comply with judge Sawan’s move to question him, reported Al Jazeera, alleging he had overstepped the role of parliament, which has a specialised court for the trial of top officials.
About 30 other security officials and port and customs officials have also been detained.
Diab and his government resigned after the blast, but he has continued in a caretaker capacity while efforts to form a new government have so far failed amid political disputes.