Rédaction Africa Links 24 with H Mohammed
Published on 2024-03-24 16:31:08
The trial hearing for a number of officials accused of negligence and corruption in relation to the collapse of dams in Derna, Libya has been postponed by the Court of Appeal. The collapse of the city’s dams resulted in massive floods that claimed the lives of at least 4,000 people on September 10. The Court of Appeal announced that the hearing will now take place on April 21. The trial originally began at Derna’s Court of First Instance on December 28, with the Public Prosecution charging 16 former officials with negligence and corruption. The case was later referred to the Court of Appeal on January 11, with the judge denying bail to the defendants.
The devastation caused by the floods in Derna was unprecedented in Libya’s modern history, with large parts of the city being destroyed. Following public outrage and demands for accountability, Attorney-General Al-Saddiq Al-Sour announced that his office was investigating the deadly disaster. Charges were subsequently pressed against over a dozen officials, including members of Derna’s Municipal Council and Reconstruction Fund. Among those charged was Ali Al-Habri, former governor of the east branch of the Central Bank of Libya and chair of the Derna Reconstruction Fund. Al-Habri is reportedly being tried in absentia as he fled the country before the charges were filed.
A joint report by the World Bank, United Nations, and European Union highlighted the scale of the disaster, affecting approximately 1.5 million people or 22% of Libya’s population. The report cited figures from the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA of 4,352 confirmed deaths with 8,000 people still missing. It pointed to the dams’ collapse as being partly due to outdated design based on hydrological information and partly a result of poor maintenance and governance issues during Libya’s conflict.
The report also raised concerns about the limited accountability and capacity of Libyan institutions, posing a challenge to recovery efforts. Weak coordination between rival authorities was expected to impact the government’s ability to effectively manage recovery funds. The report emphasized the need for stronger institutional capacity and coordination to ensure effective recovery processes and governance in the aftermath of the disaster.
Overall, the postponement of the trial hearing for the officials accused in the Derna dams collapse highlights the ongoing pursuit of justice and accountability in the aftermath of a tragedy that had a significant and lasting impact on the people of Libya.
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