Lebanese judge Tarek Bitar, responsible for investigating the gigantic deadly explosion at the port of Beirut, resumed his investigations and initiated proceedings against ten new people on Thursday January 16, said a judicial source.
On August 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated swaths of Lebanon’s capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring more than 6,500.
Tarek Bitar, independent judge, had to interrupt his investigation in January 2023, encountering hostility from a large part of the political class, notably Hezbollah, as well as a series of legal proceedings.
The resumption of its investigations comes after the election of the new Lebanese president Joseph Aoun and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister, made possible by a weakening of Hezbollah after its devastating war against Israel and the fall of Bashar Al Assad in Syria.
Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam are committed to guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary and preventing any interference in the work of judges, in a country where the culture of impunity prevails.
Interrogations starting in February
A judicial source indicated, on condition of anonymity, that Tarek Bitar had “resumed its investigations into the case and initiated proceedings against three port employees and seven high-ranking officers from the army, general security and customs”.
He specified that the interrogations will begin from February 7. Interrogation sessions are also planned for March and April with other defendants, including former ministers and deputies.
According to the same source, Tarek Bitar then plans to close the investigation and transmit it to the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation so that he can examine the case, with a view to formulating an indictment.
The explosion was caused by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate were carelessly stored, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
A first judge in charge of the investigation in 2020 had to throw in the towel, after indicting the former prime minister, Hassan Diab, and three former ministers.
Tarek Bitar had in turn attacked political leaders, but was confronted with the same obstacles and a demand from Hezbollah that he be removed from office.
He resumed his work to everyone’s surprise in January 2023, indicting several high-ranking personalities, before being prosecuted for insubordination by the attorney general, a first in the history of Lebanon.
Relatives of victims and numerous international NGOs have repeatedly requested the formation of an international commission of inquiry, but were met with an official refusal from Lebanon.
In his first speech on Tuesday, Nawaf Salam said he would “everything possible to bring justice to the victims of the explosion”.