Demonstration in Lebanon after the explosion in Beirut -

Hussein Malla / AP / SIPA

Lebanese President Michel Aoun will not sign decrees aimed at dismissing from their functions three senior officials arrested after the explosion at the port of Beirut, justifying his position on Monday by the need for a Lebanese government decision.

The three officials, currently in detention as part of the investigation into the deadly explosion of August 4, are the director of customs Badri Daher, known to be close to Michel Aoun, the director general of maritime and land transport Abdel Hafiz Al-Kaissi , and the director of the port Hassan Koraytem, ​​said a security source.

The expected Council decision

The Lebanese presidency has put forward procedural questions to justify the decision of the head of state.

Michel Aoun "will not sign the decrees of dismissal of three directors" because they "were not adopted in the Council of Ministers", indicates the Twitter account of the presidency.

For each official, an individual decree has already been signed by his respective supervisory minister (the Minister of Finance or that of Public Works) and the resigning Prime Minister Hassan Diab, the security source said.

But "the president will not sign until an individual and nominative decision has not been taken in the Council" of ministers, the Lebanese presidency insisted on Twitter on Monday.

Pulsive investigation

On August 4, the gigantic explosion at the port of Beirut, which the street attributes to the negligence and corruption of all the country's leaders, left more than 190 dead and 6,500 injured, devastating entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital.

Two months later, the investigation has still not succeeded and no results have been made public, in a country where the justice system is often subject to political pressure.

Authorities have rejected calls for an international investigation.

Around 20 people have been arrested, while hearings and interrogations of ministers, former ministers and senior security officials follow one another.

The decision of the Head of State "will be very badly perceived by the public and will take the appearance of a rebuff", commented Monday the former Minister of Justice, Ibrahim Najjar.

“From a legal standpoint, the refusal to sign constitutes a refusal to apply what is called related jurisdiction (…) which allows a decision to be enforced regardless of its merits”, added Ibrahim Najjar.

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