Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three other ex-ministers have been charged by a Lebanese judge with criminal neglect regarding the deadly explosion at Beirut’s port this summer. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the ex-finance minister, two former public works ministers, and Diab were charged with criminal neglect leading to the deaths of over 200 people. This marks the most high-profile indictments in the investigation of the explosion to date.
Diab and the ex-ministers will be questioned by Judge Fadi Sawan next week as the investigation continues to run its course. The Prime Minister claims that he handled the port blast in a responsible manner and was not responsible for the improperly stored chemicals that caused the explosion. Diab’s government stepped down in the wake of the blast and has yet to be replaced. According to Lebanese news sources, the Prime Minister admitted receiving multiple warnings about the risk of storing the chemicals at the port.
Read More: Lebanon’s prime minister charged over deadly Beirut blast
