Tarek Bitar, the Lebanese judge tasked with investigating the deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion, has resumed his work, according to a judicial source, after a 13-month suspension caused by political pressure. The investigation into the cause of the explosion had been paralyzed since December 2021, with politicians summoned for questioning filing complaints against him, forcing him to suspend the investigation.
To everyone's surprise, judge Tarek Bitar decided on January 23 to reopen the case of the disaster that tivo more than 200 dead and 6,500 injured. As of January 24, he continues to defy power by indicting the Attorney General of the Court of Cassation, Ghassan Oueidate, after having made the same decision the day before for two powerful security officials: the powerful director of the Sûreté general, Abbas Ibrahim, considered close to Hezbollah, and the head of State Security, Tony Saliba, close to former president Michel Aoun, whose mandate expired three months ago.
In total, thirteen people are being prosecuted, including five officials that Judge Bitar had already appointed in the past, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former ministers.
Hezbollah's shadow
“Port investigation: Tarek Bitar has gone crazy”, headline from January 24 Al Akhbar, close to the powerful pro-Iranian Hezbollah that dominates political life in Lebanon. The daily accuses the judge of acting “based on American orders and with European judicial support”. The State Department spokesperson assured that the United States “supports the Lebanese authorities and urges them to take a cable immediate and transparent investigation,” according to a tweet from the US Embassy in Beirut dated January 24.
The massive explosion on August 4, 2020 was caused by the careless storage of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate in a port warehouse. Much of the corruption was attributed to the corruption and negligence of the ruling class, also accused by victims' families and NGOs of torpedoing an investigation to avoid indictment.
No security measures
Court of Cassation Prosecutor General Ghassan Oueidate had in 2019 supervised a security services investigation into cracks in the warehouse where ammonium nitrate was stored without safety measures.
Judge Bitar marked the data for interrogations, between February 6 and 13, according to the bailiff. Hassan Diab, who led the government during the August 4, 2020 explosion, had previously refused to attend. Reacting to this accusation, the Lebanese Public Prosecutor's Office rejected all decisions of the responsible judge in investigation.
(with AFP)
