Lebanon’s Prime Minister charged over deadly Beirut blast

Lebanon’s outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers have been charged with negligence that led to the deaths of hundreds and injuries to thousands in the massive August Beirut port explosion.

The judge investigating the blast, Fadi Sawan on Thursday, charged Diab, former public works minsters Ghazi Zaeiter and Youssef Fenianos and former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil.

Sawan is set to question Diab as a defendant in the case on Monday at the Grand Serail, the seat of government in Beirut. He has also called in the three ministers for questioning on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, as defendants.

Sawan had previously questioned them only as “witnesses.”

The judge’s decision comes two weeks after he sent a letter to Lebanon’s parliament asking MPs to investigate ministers over the blast at a special parliamentary court for the prosecution of top officials. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri declined.

Report says “Sawan had put parliament in front of its responsibility to explore the political responsibility of ministers, but they declined to move forward. This pushed him to file these charges of negligence, which he considers within his jurisdiction.”

The decision to prosecute the outgoing premier and former ministers is based on verified written correspondence sent to them, warning the officials about nearly 3,000 tons of explosive material at Beirut’s port.

Diab’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the three former ministers phones were off when called by an Al Jazeera reporter.

The latest charges raise the number of people being prosecuted over the blast to 37, some 25 of whom are in detention.

Olawunmi Sadiq