Beirut port decide costs discriminatory prosecutor and former prime minister

The investigating Justice of the Peace for the 2020 Beirut port blast, Tariq Al-Bitar, has indicted prosecutor Ghassan Oweidat, then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab and different present and former senior officers in reference to the devastating blast, courtroom sources mentioned, and issued a subpoena from one Court docket.

The decide has indicted 4 judges, together with the prosecutor of cassation, in an unprecedented trial, which the prosecutor’s workplace of cassation rejected yesterday whereas setting dates for questioning 13 defendants between February 6 and 22 as a part of public prosecutions. for crimes resembling homicide, abuse, arson and vandalism.” All of them have a probabilistic intent.

The day earlier than yesterday, Decide Al-Bitar unexpectedly reopened the investigation after being paralyzed for greater than a yr within the face of political obstacles and authorized challenges from senior officers he needed to query.

The explosion occurred on August 4, 2020 in a warehouse within the port, the place a whole bunch of tons of ammonium nitrate have been saved in poor situations since unloading in 2013. To date, no senior official has been held accountable.

Al-Bitar accused former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former ministers of “possible intent killing,” in line with a courtroom summons seen by Reuters.

In keeping with courtroom sources, he additionally introduced costs towards Public Safety Director Main Normal Abbas Ibrahim, former military commander Jean Kahwaji and former or serving safety and judicial officers. The allegations towards them weren’t instantly clear, however a courtroom supply mentioned that Al-Bitar concluded that Oweidat had not acted responsibly in relation to the ammonium nitrate.

All whom al-Bitar had beforehand accused had denied any involvement in any wrongdoing.

Yesterday, Oweidat despatched an official letter to Al-Bitar, saying that the investigation was nonetheless pending and that in line with a duplicate seen by Reuters, no official determination had been made on whether or not he may reopen the investigation, and knowledgeable him, the letter reads: “We verify that your hand is blind.”