The head of Lebanon’s customs authority was arrested on Monday after being questioned over a massive explosion in Beirut earlier in this month.
As per a national news agency report, the investigation of the Lebanon’s customs authority Chief is basically on why 3000 tons of explosive ammonium nitrate was being stored at the city port for long. The ignition of this stockpile has caused a massive explosion killing 180 people and wounding around 6000 people.
More than 70,000 workers are believed to have become unemployed after the explosions in Beirut.On top of it, more than 200,000 people have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic since April 2020 due to the financial crisis.
Reports say that around 40,000 buildings have been damaged and 2000 doctors were critically injured and lost their clinics in the blasts.
This is the single most destructive explosion in Lebanon’s history and that documents that surfaced after the blasts in beirut indicated that the officials know the presence of tons of ammonium nitrate in the port warehouse and were also aware that there is an imminent danger.
Judge Fadi Sawwan Questioned the Customs’s Chief Badri Daher for 4 and half hours in the presence of 4 lawyers before issuing the arrest warrant. Daher will remain in custody while the investigation continues.
After questioning Daher, the judge Fadi Sawwan has returned to the explosion site to survey the damage and is expected to question the top port official of the warehouse after investigating Daher.
Lebanese President Michel said that the probe into the devastating blast is very complex and would go on for long.
The President said that the investigation is divided into three parts: the first aims to determine the circumstances surrounding the cargo, the second investigation will focus on where did the shipment come from and who shipped it and then the third probe will find out who was handling the shipment and securing it.
The President also said that the FBI and the French investigators are also helping in the investigation process to make the process clear and easy.
A nine-member team of FBI investigators landed in Beirut on Monday and were believed to have joined the team of investigators already.
Anger among people of Beirut is increasing multifolds on the ruling elite’s corruption and mismanagement. Lebanon’s government is supported by the militant Hezbollah group and its allies. The lebanon government has resigned on August 10 amid the incapability to answer people about the blasts.
However, there are no talks at present on who will be the next Prime Minister of Lebanon and no likely candidate has emerged till now.
By Gayatri Yellayi
