Video: Port of Beirut blast — lead investigator replaced
Leader of the investigation into one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history has been replaced
Judge Fadi Sawan has been removed as head of the official investigation into the blast at the Port of Beirut that ripped apart the Beirut waterfront last August, killing 204 people and injuring 7,500, reports MaritimeExecutive.
The explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history, was caused by an abandoned cargo of ammonium nitrate which was improperly stored next to a consignment of fireworks. The blast destroyed a substantial part of the Port of Beirut and rocked the entire city, destroying property several miles inland.
Sawan had charged three dozen officials linked to the explosion, including finance minister Ali Hassan Khali, former public works minister Ghazi Zeaiter, and current caretaker prime minister, Hassn Diab.
Khalil and Zeaiter filed a formal complaint alleging that Sawan was pursuing political figures in order to satisfy public demands. The court overseeing the case dismissed Sawan last week, finding that he could not be a neutral party because he refused to recognize Khalil and Zeaiter’s claims of legal immunity – and because his own house was damaged in the explosion.
