Beirut ‘Corruption Culture’ Behind the Deadly Blast, Confirms Investigation

• Corruption in Beirut set the stage for the fatal blast last month, says a New York Times investigation report.
• The report elaborates on how officials ignored numerous warnings about the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate.
• The Russian businessman who chartered the ship sent a cautionary email about the cargo.
• A law firm flagged an ominous Wikipedia entry for the port’s general manager.
• In short, the blast was a symptom of a longstanding problem.

A new investigation by The New York Times has shed more light on the corruption in Beirut that set the stage for the fatal blast last month that killed nearly 200 people, reads an article in the The Week.

What if these warnings were addressed?

But not exactly!

The warnings given by various key people about the danger involved in 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate went unnoticed.

The New York Times investigation

The New York Times investigation has cited corruption as the key for this unforseen incident.

Times reveals that even the Russian businessman who chartered the ship that originally carried the explosive material in 2013 sent a cautionary email about the cargo.

Corruption leads from the front

But the “entrenched culture of corruption at the port,” where Lebanon’s competing political factions all have a stake proved too powerful to overcome.

Multiple port employees, customs officials, and shipping agents told the Times that little moves into the port without bribes.

The bribes are being paid to multiple parties.

It includes customs inspectors, port security, and even the Ministry of Social Affairs, which Lebanon’s politically connected class reportedly bribes to allow explicitly fraudulent claims.

For example, a 3-month old child with Down Syndrome was granted a disability exemption so someone could import a luxury car tax free.

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