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Several people in the political government knew that there was a highly explosive substance in the port of Beirut.
Still, they did nothing, sparking the big explosion that claimed hundreds of lives in August.
Top politicians like Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab are now being prosecuted for negligence.
On the afternoon of August 4, one of the worst explosions the world has ever seen occurred. Large parts of Beirut were destroyed, more than 200 people died and more than 6,000 were injured. Hundreds of thousands had their homes destroyed. The explosion turned out to come from more than 3,000 tons of high-explosive ammonium nitrate dumped at the port near the city.
When it turned out that the ruling politicians and the leaders of the upper echelon for several months were aware of the risks of the material lying like a time bomb in the port, the anger of the people was aroused. After sweeping up the worst of the rubble, donating blood and fixing homes for those most affected, the population took to the streets. All who have allowed this to happen must resign.
After decades of corruption accusations and regular demonstrations against the sectarian regime, now something unique has happened in Lebanon. The country’s outgoing prime minister, Hassan Diab, will be brought to justice. It will also include the then Ministers of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ghazi Zaeiter and Youssef Fenianos, as well as the then Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil. The indictment concerns the negligence that caused the disaster. Sources tell Al Jazeera.
“It is reminiscent of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” said the Beirut governor.
Photo: Bilal Hussein / AP
Large parts of Beirut were destroyed, more than 200 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured in the blast.
The corruption continues
“This is incredibly rare in Lebanon,” Al Jazeera journalist Timour Azhari said of the accusation.
The man leading the investigation, Judge Fadi Sawan, has already heard from Diab and other ruling politicians about the blast, but only as witnesses. This leads to further interrogations, but also to the possibility of arresting the accused ministers.
All ministers have been accused of corruption in the past, but no action has ever been taken against them. If they are now brought to justice, there is a risk that Ghazi Zaeit’s own brother-in-law, Ghassan Oueidat, will be the prosecutor in the case.
– Even before the investigation began, several demanded their dismissal. That dissatisfaction will only grow now, and for good reason. There is a clear conflict of interest here, says Timour Azhari.
Photo: Hassan Ammar / AP
Protesters hold up photos of Lebanese leaders during a protest in Beirut in late November.
The president goes free
But getting ministers to appear for questioning can be difficult. According to al Jazeera, Hassan Diab has made it clear that he will refuse to question further. In a statement, he said that he “has a clear conscience” and that he handled the explosion in a “responsible and transparent” manner.
The other three ministers also have strong sectarian support behind them in the form of the Hezbollah-friendly Amal movement and the Maronite Marada movement. Nabih Berry, Speaker of Parliament and leader of the Amal movement, also dismissed the Fadi Sawan investigation, replying that there are no suspicions among the actions of the political elite.
However, according to Al Jazeera sources, the investigation has strong evidence in the form of correspondence with the ministers warning them of the consequences of leaving the highly explosive substance in the port.
Although many see this as an important step in the investigation behind the devastating explosion, there is still a long way to go before justice can be done. President Michel Aoun, who admitted that he learned of the hazardous material in the port weeks before the explosion, has yet to be investigated, for example.
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