Two former Lebanese ministers charged with negligence over a huge explosion at Beirut port in August that killed 200 people indicated on Wednesday they would not appear for questioning before the judge handling the case.
Judge Fadi Sawan charged three former ministers and the caretaker prime minister last week, sparking a fierce debate about whether the judge had the authority to charge the politicians in a nation still seeking answers about the blast.
Some politicians considered the decision to be “selective”, including Al-Mustaqbal Movement, Hezbollah and Amal Movement, while others expressed their support to the Judiciary.
Ali Hassan Khalil, a former finance minister, and Ghazi Zeaiter, a former public works minister, who were both charged, said they had not been officially informed of Wednesday’s session, which protocol demanded.
Hassan Diab, the caretaker prime minister whose cabinet resigned after the explosion, declined to be questioned on Monday, Reuters reported.
An official source said the judge set a new appointment for Friday but had yet to receive a response. Diab said his conscience is clear over the matter.
Families of blast victims are increasingly frustrated that details have not emerged from an investigation since the Aug. 4 explosion caused by a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate, which was stored in unsafe conditions.
Many Lebanese say they have given up hope of finding out the truth about the explosion in a country where a political elite have held power for decades amid corruption and mismanagement, while few in authority have ever been held to account.
Politicians said Sawan has been selective and overstepped his powers, while the head of the Beirut Bar Association and others said the judge has shown courage.
Khalil stressed he played no role in the blast case. The Finance Ministry, which he led from 2014 to early 2020, oversees customs.
Zeaiter, who called the charges “a blatant violation”, ran the Public Works Ministry in 2014, soon after ship carrying the ammonium nitrate arrived at the port.
Speaking told Asharq Al-Awsat, Zeaiter affirmed that he had not been officially summoned by the judge.
“I have not been informed of anything by anyone, neither in my house nor elsewhere,” he said, stressing that he would not appear before the judge as long as he has not been officially summoned.
The investigative judge has also summoned the former army chief of staff, retired Major General Walid Salman, to hear his testimony as a witness.
