Judge Fadi Sawan, the investigator into the Beirut Port explosion on 4 August, that killed around 200 people and injured thousands of others, has charged the caretaker prime minister, Hassan Diab with negligence according to the official Lebanese news agency.
In addition, Judge Fadi Sawan, pressed charges against the former Minister of Finance, Ali Hassan Khalil, and former Ministers of Public Works, Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Finianos, also for negligence. The judge has set 14, 15 and 16 December as dates for interrogating the defendants at the Palace of Justice.
On the day after the blast Diab had vowed to bring those responsible for the explosion to justice.
The explosion ripped through Beirut Port and shattered buildings in the city as 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate combusted, in one of the worst port accidents ever.
Nick Savvides
Managing Editor
