After 2 years the investigation into the explosion at the port of Beirut restarts

The Lebanese investigating judge, Tarek Bitar, in charge of investigating the gigantic explosion that occurred in the port of Beirut in 2020, has resumed his investigations and started proceedings against ten new people, according to judicial sources. On August 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated large areas of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring more than 6,500.

Bitar, an independent judge, had to stop his investigations in January 2023, encountering hostility from much of the political class, particularly Hezbollah, as well as a series of legal proceedings. The resumption of the investigations comes after the election of the new Lebanese president Joseph Aoun and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister, made possible by the weakening of Hezbollah after the last war against Israel and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Aoun and Salam pledged to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and prevent any interference in the work of judges, in a country where the culture of impunity prevails.

A judicial source told AFP on condition of anonymity that Mr Bitar had “resumed investigations into the case and initiated proceedings against three port employees and seven high-ranking officers from the army, general security and of customs”. He said the interrogations would begin on February 7. They are expected interrogation sessions also for March and April with other defendants, including former ministers and former parliamentarians. According to the same source, Bitar therefore intends to close the investigation and send it to the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation for review, in order to draw up an indictment.

The explosion was caused by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate they were stored carelessly, despite repeated warnings. The first judge in charge of the investigation in 2020 had to throw in the towel, after indicting former prime minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers. In turn, Bitar had attacked political leaders, but faced the same obstacles and Hezbollah’s demand to remove him from office.

He returned to work to general surprise in January 2023, indicting several high-ranking figures, before being tried for insubordination by the attorney general, a first in Lebanese history. The victims’ families and numerous international NGOs have repeatedly asked for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry, but have always received official refusal from Lebanon.