Diab Decries 'Attack on Premiership' after Being Charged over Port Blast

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab's office said Thursday that the outgoing premier's conscience was clear after he was charged in the Beirut port blast probe.

"He is confident that his hands are clean and that he has handled the Beirut Port blast file in a responsible and transparent manner," it said in a statement.

"This surprising targeting goes beyond the person to the position per se, and Hassan Diab will not allow the Premiership to be targeted by any party," it stressed.

In another statement, Diab's press office accused Judge Fadi Sawan of "violating the constitution" and "bypassing parliament," describing the caretaker PM as "a man of institutions who respects the law and abides by the constitution."

The office added that Diab has already provided all the information he had to Sawan. It was not clear whether the comments meant he would not accept to be interrogated again. Sawan said he would interrogate Diab and the three ministers as defendants next week.

Sawan, Lebanon's lead investigator into the catastrophic explosion, has charged Diab and ex-ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zoaiter and Youssef Fenianos with negligence. They are the first politicians to be indicted over the devastating August 4 blast that killed more than 200 people, disfigured the heart of the capital and stoked a wave of public anger against Lebanon's ruling elite.

The four were charged with "negligence and causing death to hundreds and injuries to thousands more" in the first such official indictment against a prime minister in office in Lebanese history.

After the blast, it emerged top security officials and politicians had known for years about hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer stored haphazardly at the Beirut port but had failed to take precautionary measures.

The decision by Sawan came after the investigation confirmed the suspects had received "several written notices warning them against postponing the disposal of ammonium nitrate fertilizer," a judicial source said.

"They also did not take the necessary measures to avoid the devastating explosion and its enormous damage," added the source.

Youssef Lahoud, legal representative to 1,500 families affected by the blast, described Sawan's move as "essential step toward revealing the complete truth."

Lahoud, who also represents the Beirut Bar Association working on behalf of the families, said an indictment doesn't mean incrimination, and that it is the 5-member judicial council that would issue verdicts.

Since the material arrived in Lebanon in late 2013, four prime ministers have been in office. It was not clear why Sawan has singled out Diab among the ex-premiers who have held the post while the nitrates were improperly stored at a port warehouse, a ticking bomb.

Former Prime Ministers Najib Miqati, Tammam Salam and Saad Hariri have reportedly said that they were not aware of the existence of the material. Diab has said he was only informed about the presence of the "explosives" days before the blast and had planned to visit the port. Later, he told reporters he canceled the visit after being told the stored chemicals were fertilizers.

"There is a list to be made of all those who knew and should all be held responsible," said Elie Hasrouty, whose father died in the port explosion. "Their job is not to refer (the matter) to others, but to stop that 'bomb' from going off and to protect people."