Badri Daher (Arabic: بدري ضاهر) is the Director-General of the Lebanese Customs accused of being responsible for the 2020 Beirut Explosion, which left dozens dead and hundreds injured, in addition to widespread destruction in the Beirut port and its surrounding areas.[1]

The accusation came after Lebanese officials revealed that the explosion occurred after a fire reached a large quantity of high explosive materials confiscated for years and found in the port.[1]

Biography

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Badri Fouad Daher, born in the village of Rishmia in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, in 1972, holds a law degree from the Lebanese University.[1]

He started his work in the Administrative Affairs Department of the General Directorate of Lebanese Customs in 1994 as an internship assistant observer.[1]

He worked as a superintendent at the Passengers and Duty Free Department at Beirut International Airport, then as an observer in the Manifest Department and customs warehouses at Beirut Port.[1]

He also worked as a secretary at the General Directorate of Customs between 2004 and 2010, and was appointed first observer for the Manifest Department, customs warehouses and the public free zone, then the first superintendent of the customs and private warehouse department in the free zone.

He was appointed Director General of Lebanese Customs since 2017, and he continues to hold his position today.[1]

Accusations of Corruption

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Badri Daher was subjected to corruption charges last year, as Representative Paula Yacoubian said that the Director of Customs was paid, along with his wife, who works in the same institution, $ 60,000 per month, which sparked a storm about the matter.[1]

In a confrontation on the “Al-Jadid” channel, Daher rejected Paula Yacoubian's accusations, before the channel itself published documents revealing that Badri Daher was charging 42 million Lebanese pounds per month ($ 28,000), in addition to bonuses paid every 6 months.[1]

After the television confrontation, the Lebanese Central Inspection opened the customs file and began its investigations, before closing the file without results.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "من هو بدري ضاهر المتهم بالمسؤولية عن انفجار مرفأ بيروت؟ – إرم نيوز". www.eremnews.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-03-30.
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