Lebanon Prime Minister, Hassan Diab and three ex-ministers have been charged by a Lebanese Judge with criminal neglect over the huge explosion at Beirut’s port that killed more than 200 people on August 4.
The explosion destroyed much of Beirut’s eastern coastal area, killing more than 204 people, injuring at least 6,500, and displacing around 300,000 from their homes.
The explosion was believed to have been caused by the detonation of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate, stored for years at the port of Lebanon’s capital.
Judge Fadi Sawan, who is investigating the incident, will interrogate Diab and the other charged ex-ministers next week.
A statement from Diab’s office read;
“The Prime Minister’s conscience is clear. He is confident that his hands are clean and that he has handled the Beirut Port blast file in a responsible and transparent manner,”
“Hassan Diab will not allow the Premiership to be targeted by any party.”
Two of the ex-ministers indicted, former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former public works minister Youssef Fenianos were recently sanctioned by the Trump administration for links to terrorist organization, Hezbollah.
