Lebanon appointed a new judge on Friday (February 19) to investigate the devastating explosion at the port of Beirut more than six months ago, a judicial source said the day after his predecessor was challenged.
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"
The High Judicial Council accepted the proposal of the resigning Minister of Justice Mary-Claude Najm to appoint Judge Tareq Bitar to lead the investigation into the case of the explosion at the port,
" she said.
"
The council summoned and informed Judge Bitar of the decision to appoint him, and he accepted
."
Bitar becomes the second judge to take charge of the investigation into the tragedy of August 4, which left more than 200 dead and 6,500 injured, and destroyed neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital.
On Thursday, the Lebanese Court of Cassation dismissed Judge Fadi Sawan from the investigation, after a complaint from two former ministers who had been accused of "
negligence and causing hundreds of deaths
".
The explosion was caused by an enormous quantity of ammonium nitrate, stored "
without precaution
" for years in a warehouse at the port, by the admission of authorities considered largely responsible for the tragedy due to their negligence. and their carelessness.
Activists have castigated this challenge, calling it a "
parody of justice
" which illustrates the interference and pressure of a hated political class and which risks starting the investigation from scratch.
Lawyer and activist Nizar Saghieh timidly welcomed Bitar's appointment, wondering if he could work "
without interference and pressure
."
So far, the preliminary investigation into the explosion has led to the arrest of 25 people, including port and customs officials.
