Judge Fadi Sawwan’s decision to file charges against caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers due to their links to the Beirut port blast continues to reverberate in Lebanon.
Calls were made on Friday for President Michel Aoun to be also charged in the probe after his admission in August that he was aware of the stockpile of ammonium nitrate that was stored at the port and whose detonation led to the cataclysmic blast.
These demands prompted the presidency to issue a statement to clarify Aoun’s actions when he was informed of the stockpile, 15 days before the explosion on August 4.
Aoun was made aware of the stockpile at warehouse No.12 at the port through a report by the State Security General Directorate that he received on July 12, said the statement.
Aoun asked his security and military advisor to follow up on the report with the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council, which includes all the security apparatuses and the relevant ministries, it added.
"On July 28, 2020, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council informed the president's security and military advisor that he was dealing with the issue, and that he sent a letter to the Ministry of Public Works which was received on Monday, August 3, 2020," the statement added.
It confirmed that the president did not interfere in any way in the investigations by the judicial investigation judge into the explosion, even though he had repeatedly called for speeding up the proceedings to reveal all details of the crime and hold those responsible accountable.
On the meeting Aoun held with the Supreme Judicial Council on Tuesday, the presidency clarified that it did not tackle the port blast, and “therefore, all claims that the president had demanded to intervene in the probe are baseless.”
The talks with the Supreme Judicial Council were limited to judicial work, said the statement.
The explosion was caused by the ignition of a large stockpile of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for six years, with the knowledge of top security officials and politicians who did nothing about it.
More than 200 people were killed and thousands injured by the explosion that destroyed large parts of the capital.
Diab and the four former ministers were charged with carelessness and negligence leading to death over the blast.
