Beirut port blast investigation suspended for the second time amid legal challenges

The investigation of the fatal Beirut port blast in Lebanon which happened last year has been put on hold after a former minister who was called for interrogation, complained that the main judge is partial. According to BBC, judicial sources informed that the Tarek Bitar will halt the investigation until the court will decide on former Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk's case, who has been accused of negligence ahead of the Beirut port explosion. Judge Bitar has had a difficult time getting high-profile witnesses to testify. In February, Bitar's predecessor was dismissed for identical reasons after accusing previous ministers of negligence.  

On August 4, 2020, a major blast at Beirut's port killed nearly 218 people, injured 7,000 more, and destroyed large swaths of the city. A fire prompted the explosion of 2,750 tonnes of flammable ammonium nitrate which had been stockpiled in a hazardous manner in a warehouse for over six years. The tragedy worsened Lebanon's serious economic crisis, which has pushed three-quarters of the country's people into poverty.  

Customs Authorities issued warnings about unsafe ammonium nitrate

The ammonium nitrate chemical appeared in the Beirut port in the year 2013, when a cargo ship from Moldovan made an unplanned stay and was then barred from departing due to a court disagreement over unpaid costs and ship problems. After a court ruling, the ship was declared unseaworthy in 2014, and the cargo of the ship was unloaded into a port facility. 

Cautions regarding the dangers of ammonium nitrate and demands for its removal were routinely ignored, according to the leaders of the port and customs authorities, BBC reported. As part of the inquiry into the explosion, over 20 individuals have been detained in which the majority of them are port and customs officers.  

Removal of First Judge on the case of Beirut port explosion

Last December, the first lead judge and the predecessor of Bitar, Fadi Sawan, chose to prosecute Hassan Diab who was the prime minister during the time of the blast, and three other former top officials including former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, former public works ministers Youssef Finyanus and Ghazi Zaiter, with the charge of carelessness and negligence. Though they denied their criminality and declined to be interrogated as suspects and further accused the judge of violating his position. 

The Court of Cassation suspended Judge Sawan from the case in February after Khalil and Zaiter filed complaints. According to the court, the judgment was given over the fact that the judge's residence was destroyed by the port bomb and thus, raising doubts on his impartiality. Judge Bitar was later his replacement and had asked the four individuals, as well as Machnouk and many former army and security leaders, to testify.  

Tarek Bitar issued an arrest order for Finyanus earlier this month when he failed to show up before him. The former minister Finyanus then petitioned the Court of Cassation to remove the judge, claiming "legitimate suspicion" of partiality in his handling of the case. The judge's inquiry was stopped only when Machnouk submitted a similar complaint about his partiality last week, much to the anger and anguish of the victims' relatives, who are anxious for answers. 

(Image: AP)