Arrest warrant issued for former minister of public works

The lead judge investigating Lebanon’s massive port explosion last year issued an arrest warrant yesterday for a former minister who failed to appear for questioning, the state-run National News agency reported.

Yousuf Fenianos, the former public works minister, is among former government officials who have declined to appear before investigating judge Tarek Bitar.

Bitar has charged Fenianos and three other former senior government officials with intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the blast and over 6,000 wounded.

Bitar also summoned the former and current security chiefs. The former prime minister has also refused to appear before the judge.

The Lebanese investigation has been running into major obstacles, including the removal of Bitar’s predecessor. More than a year after the blast, there are still no answers to what triggered the explosion.