Lebanon’s PM declines questioning over Beirut port blast
Diab had been questioned by Judge Fadi Sawwan as a witness earlier but now he would face questions as a defendant.
Monday 14/12/2020
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announcing his government’s resignation amid popular outrage over the deadly Beirut port explosion, last August. (AFP)
BEIRUT – Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Hassan Diab, has declined to be questioned by the judge who charged him and three former ministers with negligence over the Beirut port blast, an official source said on Monday.
Persons familiar with the case said Monday the premier has already given the prosecutor all the information he has. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Lebanese Judge Insists on Questioning Caretaker PM Diab Over Port Blast Published December 15th, 2020 - 07:40 GMT
A view shows the aftermath of yesterday s blast at the port of Lebanon s capital Beirut, on August 5, 2020. Rescuers worked through the night after two enormous explosions ripped through Beirut s port, killing at least 78 people and injuring thousands, as they wrecked buildings across the Lebanese capital. Anwar AMRO / AFP
The lead Beirut blast investigator Monday scheduled new questioning sessions for caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers after they refused to cooperate, a judicial source said.
Lead investigator of Beirut blast, Judge Fadi Sawwan was supposed to go to the Grand Serail Monday to question Diab as a suspect for negligence that led to the Aug. 4 explosion which resulted in more than 200 deaths and thousands of injuries.
Sawwan Sets Wednesday Date for Khalil, Zoaiter Interrogation naharnet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from naharnet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
December 15, 2020 at 10:19 am | Published in: Lebanon, Middle East, News
Former Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab in Beirut, Lebanon on 5 May 2020 [Presidency of Lebanon//Anadolu Agency] December 15, 2020 at 10:19 am
Former Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has refused to attend further questioning over the Beirut port explosion, an official source said yesterday.
Reuters quoted an unnamed source as saying that Diab s decision came after the judge investigating the Beirut port explosion charged him and three former ministers with negligence.
The accusation levelled by Judge Fadi Sawwan against Diab and former public works ministers Ghazi Zaeiter and Youssef Fenianos and former Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil sparked strong criticism from influential parties, including Hezbollah and Saad Hariri s the Future Movement.
BEIRUT: The judicial investigator of the Beirut port bombing has said he will interrogate caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab at 9 a.m. on Friday. The move means the judge has decided to proceed with his allegations against those accused of involvement in the explosion crime on Aug. 4, in which 202 people were killed. Judge Fadi Sawan was supposed to go to the Prime Minister’s office on Monday to interrogate Diab after he had charged him and 3 other ministers with “negligence causing the death and injury of hundreds of people.” The massive explosion of tons of ammonium nitrate injured more than 6,500 people and destroyed Beirut’s waterfront and entire residential neighborhoods.