Beirut blast probe resumes after 13 months: Judicial source
Beirut, Lebanon - The Lebanese judge investigating the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast has resumed his work, a judicial official said on Monday, after a 13month suspension due to political pressure.
“Judge Tarek Bitar has decided to resume his investigation,” said the official. The probe into the cause of the blast, one of history’s largest non-nuclear explosions, had been stalled since December 2021 as a series of complaints against Bitar obstructed his work.
The official said on Monday Bitar has ordered the release of five detained suspects and pressed charges against eight others. Among those charged
were Abbas Ibrahim, General Security director general, and State Security agency chief Tony Saliba.
Embattled judge Bitar had previously sought permission to question both officials.
Lebanon’s former head of
customs, Shafiq Merhi, was one of those released.
Despite the surprise decision, Bitar continues to face immense pressure from politicians, who had filed dozens of complaints against him that forced him to halt his probe.
They include several ex-ministers, two of whom were hit with arrest warrants after they failed to show up for questioning. “Bitar conducted a legal study that led him to decide to resume his investigations despite the complaints filed against him,” the official said.
Lebanon’s powerful Shiite group Hezbollah had repeatedly demanded he step down on grounds of political bias.
No state official has yet been held accountable over the blast, while foreign countries and international bodies had called for the probe to resume.
Bitar met last week with two French judges to discuss his investigation, a judicial source told AFP at the time.
State institutions have been reluctant to cooperate with the probe, which began the same month as the explosion.
In February 2021, Bitar’s predecessor as lead judge was removed from the case by a court which had questioned his impartiality because his home had been damaged in the blast.
Parliament has refused to lift immunity granted to lawmakers, and Bitar’s requests to interrogate top security officials have been turned down.