Source: Former president could face charges over Beirut explosion

TT-AFP

 

Published 18.32

 

Lebanon's former president Michel Aoun led the country between 2016 and 2022. File photo. Photo: Bilal Hussein/AP/TT

A Lebanese prosecutor has requested that former President Michel Aoun be charged in connection with the 2020 Beirut port explosion, a source within the Lebanese judiciary told AFP.

The explosion in Beirut on August 4, 2020, claimed the lives of more than 200 people. Now, the prosecutor at Lebanon's Court of Cassation is calling for charges to be brought against former President Michel Aoun.

He is accused of knowing about the long-term storage of the highly explosive substance ammonium nitrate at the port—without taking action or informing the country's Defense Council of the situation.

Judge Tarek Bitar will make the formal decision on whether to bring charges.