Judge Sawan demands a parliamentary investigation for the Beirut Blast case

Qatar supports the Lebanese education sector

The destruction caused by the Beirut Blast. Photo: Hassan Shaban/ Bloomberg via Getty Images

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In a constructive step forward, a fragrance of hope transpired over the past few days. According to a judicial source, the investigator assigned on the Beirut Port bombing case asked Parliament to investigate current and former ministers on suspicion of committing violations or crimes related to the disaster in the Lebanese capital. The judicial source stated that the judicial investigator, Judge Fadi Sawan, wrote to the Parliament that former ministers share the responsibility of the catastrophe and the failure to deal with the presence of ammonium nitrate in the port.

The source confirmed that Judge Sawan asked Parliament to conduct investigations with the Minister of Works in the caretaker government, Michel Najjar, and his predecessors Youssef Fenianos, Ghazi Al-Aridi and Ghazi Zaiter, the Minister of Finance in the caretaker government, Ghazi Wazne and his predecessor Ali Hassan Khalil, and the Minister of Justice in the caretaker government, Marie-Claude Najm and her predecessors Ashraf Rifi, Salim Jreissati and Albert Sarhan. 

Sawan's book addressed to the Lebanese Parliament comes after a review prepared by the Public Prosecution Office, in which it considered that prosecuting ministers for violations or potential crimes they committed during their assumption of ministerial duties, falls within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council to try presidents and ministers.

In other words, the Supreme Council will be entrusted with the case instead of relying on other judiciary bodies, which had in the past suspended the trial of ministers for lack of jurisdiction. Hopefully, the Supreme Council will bypass all the political red tape and try all those who are deemed guilty.

Humanitaria Aid

A picture of a destroyed class room. Nov. 2020 Photo credit: Qatar Fund for Development

To this day, foreign assistance did not seize. Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lebanese Ministry of Education in cooperation with Education Above All Foundation (EAA) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to repair 55 schools and 3 universities damaged by the Beirut explosion.

Communication and Public Relations Department