Fears of political interference roil Beirut blast investigation
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A destroyed silo is seen amid the rubble and debris after the massive August 4 explosion in Lebanon s capital Beirut. File Photo by Ahmad Terro/UPI | License Photo
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 25 (UPI) The removal of a judge who charged four senior politicians with negligence in the Beirut port explosion has raised fears of political interference and prompted renewed calls for an international investigation.
The dismissal of investigative Judge Fadi Sawan by the court of cassation on Feb. 18 was seen as a major setback to efforts to determine what caused the massive Aug. 4 blast and who is to blame for the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored there for seven years before igniting.
828 Damaged cars remain at the site of the August 4 deadly blast in the port of Beirut that killed scores and wounded thousands, in Beirut, Lebanon. AP/PTI file
Beirut, December 10
The Lebanese prosecutor probing last summer’s port explosion in Beirut has filed charges against the caretaker prime minister and three former ministers, Lebanon’s official news agency said.
Judge Fadi Sawwan filed the charges on Thursday against Hassan Diab and former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos, both former ministers of public works.
All four were charged with negligence leading to deaths over the August 4 explosion at Beirut port, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. The explosion was caused by the ignition of a large stockpile of explosive material that had been stored at the port for years. AP
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Lebanon prosecutor suspends port probe amid political tussle
Lebanon’s top politicians have rallied around the argument that the indictment of a minister should be submitted to a vote in parliament.
Friday 18/12/2020
Lebanese protesters scuffle with security forces during a demonstration against the lack of progress in the probe about Beirut port blast. (AFP)
BEIRUT – The Lebanese judge investigating the huge explosion that rocked Beirut in August has suspended the probe after two ministers he charged requested he be removed, judicial sources said Thursday.
The development, reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), comes after a stormy week that cast doubt on the fate of the investigation into the August 4 blast that killed over 200 people and destroyed parts of Beirut.
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Dec. 19, 2020
“You can’t extort a prime minister. That’s final. We won’t accept this,” Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri fumed this week. His rage was directed at the announcement of the judge investigating the deadly Beirut port blast in August. According to the declaration, the judge intends to investigate every prime minister who has held the position since 2013, the year the ammonia that caused the explosion was unloaded from a ship into the port s storage.
The judge, Fadi Sawan, even had the nerve to accuse outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab of overall responsibility for the explosion. He also summoned three former ministers for questioning, on top of the dozens of witnesses who have already been questioned and the detainees awaiting trial.