MEPs call for an independent investigation into Beirut Blast, urge need for sanctions

Four MEPs from the centrist group Renew Europe, namely Christophe Grudler, Dacian Ciolos, Salima Yenbou, and Georgos Kyrtsos, visited Lebanon on a fact-finding mission to renew solidarity with the Lebanese people. 

In a press release, it stated that the delegation of Renew Europe MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) visited Lebanon to assess the fight against corruption since the adoption of the resolution they pushed at the European Parliament in September 2021, which described the situation to be "a man-made disaster caused by a handful of men across the ruling political class."  

"Our twenty meetings on corruption in Lebanon have taught us a lot. Europe must absolutely help Lebanon get out of the abyss, save its democracy and its dear people before it is too late. We maintain our position that the responsibility in the current crisis is a shared one, across all political groups," they stated.

In a press release, the MEPs underlined, regarding the investigation of the Beirut Port explosion, the need to have an independent international investigation to find the reasons and the people responsible for the explosion. 

"We cannot accept impunity on Europe's doorstep, and this starts with respecting an independent judiciary," it stated. 

Regarding sanctions, they called on European Institutions to implement a "robust" sanctions regime against corrupt politicians, businessmen, bankers, and those involved in large-scale corruption and blocking democratic life. 

It added that EU institutions and judicial authorities of the EU Member States to "name and shame" those who "abused their power and influence to develop corrupt practices," as many of them have assets in Europe illegally. 

The press release urged the Governor of the Central Bank and "some of his aides" to "face the courts for their actions, which have cost their countries billions. " 

The parliamentarians' visit also aimed to stand in solidarity with the MPs to protect the essential role that Lebanon's Parliament plays in democratic life, urging Lebanese political parties to fill the institutional vacuum to accelerate the needed program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the fight against corruption.  

The Renew Europe group also stated that they would ask for a debate with a resolution in the European Parliament regarding "the situation in Lebanon, three years after the explosion in the port of Beirut" as soon as their return to Europe.