Lebanon: Diab refuses to be questioned about the Beirut bombing

An official Lebanese source told “Reuters” today (Monday) that Acting Prime Minister Hassan Diab refused to be questioned by a judge who accused him and three former ministers of negligence regarding the bomb attack at the port. from Beirut.
The accusations brought by Judge Fadi Sawan last week drew strong criticism from influential parties, including Hezbollah and leader Saad Hariri.
Some politicians indicated that Sawan was selective in determining who to bring charges to and that he had exceeded his powers in bringing charges against ministers. But others said his decision proved courage.
Diab, who took office in January, said he was cleared of conscience by the Aug. 4 explosion that killed 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed entire neighborhoods in the capital, Beirut.
Diab resigned after the disaster, but continued to serve as acting prime minister.
The explosion, which was one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history, was caused by a large amount of ammonium nitrate that had been in unsafe storage for years.
The official source, who is from the Prime Minister’s Office, said that Sawan called Diab’s office last week to request an appointment with him today (Monday), but was informed of Diab’s refusal to submit to questioning. Sawan could not be reached for comment.
On Friday, after his meeting with Diab, Hariri vowed not to allow anyone to invade the post of prime minister, a post held by a Sunni under the sectarian power-sharing system.
The three former ministers charged are members of parties allied to Hezbollah, which said on Friday that the accusations indicated “political objectives.” And two of them are members of the Shiite Amal movement, to which the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, belongs.
On Sunday, Maronite Patriarch Bishara Boutros Al-Rai expressed hope that reactions to Sawan’s move will not hamper the investigation or lead to “a national division on a sectarian basis for which we cannot find a justification.”