Lebanon's acting PM Diab accused of causing Beirut blast

Lebanon’s investigating judge has charged caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers with negligence over the Beirut port blast that killed 200 people and ruined a swathe of the capital in August.

The others are former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as former public works ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Finianos, state news agency NNA said on Thursday.

Zeaiter told Reuters he would make a statement once he was officially informed of the charges. He headed the public works and transport ministry in 2014, shortly after the arrival of the Rhosus ship carrying a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate which detonated at the port.

Officials have said the cargo of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical, was stored unsafely for years at the port, which lies in heart of the city.

Diab’s office, Finianos and Khalil, who is a senior aide to Lebanon’s influential Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Four months after one of the largest non-nuclear explosions on record, which injured thousands of people, victims are still waiting for the results of an investigation their leaders had promised would come within days of the Aug. 4 port blast.

The judge leading the official inquiry, Fadi Sawan, sent a letter last month asking parliament to probe 10 former ministers.

Soure: Reuters

 

The Liberum

Vox Populi, Vox Dei
See full bio >
The Liberum runs on your donation. Fight with us for a free society.
Donation Form (#6)

More articles you might like

"To be, or not to be, from the river to the sea…"

The dispute between Israelis and Palestinians over who rightfully owns the area between the River […]

Pity is merely a hateful feeling wrapped up in a hopeless sigh

I hate pity. I hate this feeling wrapped in a hopeless, helpless sigh. It is […]
- by The Liberum on 08/11/2024

Unanswered questions about Lebanon's Future

I published my first article on this platform just a few weeks ago. It was […]

Why Israel came out of the Syrian Civil War as the biggest winner

This article goes against the widely accepted view expressed by Ehud Yaari, an Israeli Journalist […]
- by The Liberum on 10/10/2024

How I lost my respect for the Western ‘civilisation’

Western countries are fond of showing to the rest of the world how civilised they […]
- by Hiba Kilany on 04/10/2024

Smile, smile, and please don’t cry

Sip that perfect Italian coffee under its clear sky, soft breeze, and warm sun… just […]