The allegation of the port explosion: a threat to dismantle the investigations … and the government

It is no longer “important” if a political party is behind the indictment of the judicial investigator in the crime of the port explosion, Judge Fadi Sawan, against the resigned Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Youssef Fenianos and Ghazi Zaiter, as opponents of Deputy Gebran Bassil claim, or if Sawan’s decision moved away from political rivalries. The main point is currently focused on the result to which the accusation led, and it is the mobilization of all opponents of the Free Patriotic Movement against it. Whoever visited government offices, issued statements and called in solidarity with Diab, only aimed to strengthen the front against the “Pact team” accused of using the judiciary to “settle accounts.” At a time when the Free Patriotic Movement decided to enter through the door of the “fight against corruption” moving judicial files, such as the summons of the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, and the prosecution in the file of the displaced, and the illicit enrichment of several officers, including former army chief Jean Kahwaji … will not be considered a trio Nabih Berri – Saad Hariri – Walid Jumblatt himself is interested in making the “concessions” that he considers to be of interest to the president Michel Aoun and Bassil in the matter of the formation of the government. Consequently, the decision was covered behind Sawan’s decision to further complicate the negotiations to form the government, prompting the main political forces in the country to claim: “No government.” It is resolved that “the progress of investigations on the port issue will increase resentment and separate forces.” The “support” given to Diab is only one indicator of the tension stage.

The day before Sawan’s claim, the resigned prime minister “without a shop” was the one who was “ostracized” from the sect to which he belonged by accepting the site, and incitement campaigns were organized against him, especially the ” club of former prime ministers. ” Within hours, Diab became a “point of contact” to express his “refusal to insult” the prime minister’s position. Sources from the latter say that “the explosion in Beirut was a great disaster, but the prime minister cannot be indicted without others, as if he were solely responsible.” However, the “surprise” in the entire “solidarity campaign” was the phone call received by the departments of the Hariri government palace, informing them that he was on his way to meet Diab. As for the Hariri circles, “he did not go to the brigades just to show solidarity with Diab, but to confirm that the third presidency is not an orphan.” Hariri views the accusation against Diab as a prelude to targeting him and the “first Sunni siege” in the republic, just as Berri and Suleiman Franjieh viewed the accusations against Ali Hassan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos.
The sectarian protection for Diab is not an “exception” in Lebanon, but a repetition of similar events whose protagonists change according to the record. Manufacturing an instinctive uproar, which often ends up “blowing up” the investigations, and it was “natural” that Diab resorted to him “out of fear” of the consequences of the decision, since he had no political coverage. However, a reaction that took a sectarian turn would have dangerous consequences. It is true that it is not fair to hold Diab responsible for a crisis that is years old, and it is illogical to summon a current head of government without any minister of his government, or to prosecute former ministers without the heads of government at that time, but the facts the last 48 hours can eliminate any possibility. Reach a conclusion on the investigations of the port explosion. The file is currently at a difficult crossroads. Judge Fadi Sawan will reconsider investigations, distracting them from the discretionary nature of investigations by broadening the range of defendants, or will complete the “populist reactions” decision-making method and prevent access to the truth by knowing the perpetrators of the crime. August 4.
But will this prevent the formation of the government? As for the circles of March 8, “any great shaking hinders other proceedings. What happened will slow down the dynamism generated by Hariri’s presentation of the draft government, and will respond to it at the proposal of the President of the Republic.” It was the first time that “an atmosphere of serious debate about the government emerged, and was destroyed by the Sawan impeachment.” However, attempts to remove the squad will continue before December 22, when French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Lebanon (the Elysee announced that Macron will visit Lebanon on the 22nd and 23rd of this month), “which is towards what that the French are pressing, otherwise they threaten that their working mechanism will change and they will put into practice More pressure on Lebanon.

Hezbollah: Sawan’s decision will regrettably delay investigation and trial

On the importance and need to form a government as soon as possible to try to alleviate the severity of the economic and financial collapse, but it was not an issue on the agenda of yesterday’s politicians, who were distracted by issuing statements of solidarity with Diab, who He announced after their meeting that Hariri “I went to the prime minister to express my absolute rejection of the clear constitutional breach AND the scandal that the judge committed against the prime minister. The heads of government only appear before a special tribunal created by the Council of Representatives. The prime minister is not for blackmail ”. As for the Marada Movement, it issued a statement in which it described what happened as “discretionary, not based on correct fundamentals.” Former Minister Yusef Fenianos performed his duties fully in accordance with established principles and within his powers … If the objective was to pay us the price of certain political positions, then these methods did not work for us in the past and they will not affect us today.
Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora also considered that “the judiciary should not be used as a mask for police operations or to mount accusations in order to settle political scores or revenge. If there is true impartiality, then it is more appropriate to request to hear His Excellency the President, who boldly said that he knew about it 15 days before the attack. The Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abd al-Latif Derian, affirmed his “support for Diab and his support for him and his refusal to insult the presidency of the government”, while Walid Jumblatt considered that “the investigation is not allowed of the port disaster stops before constitutional or sectarian barriers, and must include everyone without exception ”. . For its part, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party pointed out that “a disaster of this magnitude requires transparent investigations that contain all the threads, and this is a path that requires close monitoring and a comprehensive awareness to facilitate the determination of responsibilities and discover the truth. ”.

The French threaten to change their working mechanism if a government is not formed before December 22.

The statement added that skipping the stage “requires a departure from populism when addressing the archives.” As for Hezbollah, it issued a statement in which it tried to reconcile its insistence on proceeding with the investigations and the warning against the discretion to which Sawan resorted, so the statement began by stating “our principled and complete support for the investigation judicial, and revealing all the parties and individuals responsible for it, whoever they are ”, warning that the investigation will not fall. In the maze of red tape, red tape and legal problems, so that the evidence disappears, the criminals are absent and the truth is lost, and unreliable suspicions, unfounded accusations and wrong accusations surface. Hizbullah emphasized that “all measures taken by the investigating judge are far from policy and purpose and that the prosecution is carried out on logical and legal grounds, and this is what we do not find in recent proceedings. Therefore, we categorically reject the absence of unified standards that led to what we believe has been a political target of people. Ignored others without the proper balance, and kept people suspicious of crime and excluded others without a measure of justice, which will sadly lead to a delay in investigation and trial rather than reaching a final court ruling and fair.

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