Reuters Reuters
15 December, 2020, 12:25 pm
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon s Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri speaks as he stands near caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, December 11, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
BEIRUT (Reuters) – 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.
Judge Fadi Sawan’s charges have met pushback from influential parties including Shi’ite Hezbollah and Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri, underlining the political problems facing the investigation.
Lebanese are still waiting for answers more than four months since one of the biggest non-nuclear blasts on record. A huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate detonated in August after being stored unsafely for years, killing 200 people, injuring thousands and devastating entire districts.
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Lebanese are still waiting for answers four months since one of the biggest non-nuclear blasts on record. A stockpile of ammonium nitrate, stored unsafely for years, detonated in August, killing 200 people, injuring thousands and devastating entire districts.
Some politicians accused Sawan of being selective and overstepping his powers by charging ministers. Others, including the head of the Beirut Bar Association, said the move showed courage.
The outgoing premier has said everything he has to say about this file, full stop, according to his office. Diab, who has testified as a witness, quit after the disaster but continues to serve in a caretaker role.
PM declines to be questioned in Beirut blast probe, official source says metro.us - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from metro.us Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.