Courts in Lebanon on Thursday (November 25) dismissed lawsuits blocking the investigation into the devastating explosion at the port of Beirut, paving the way for the resumption of the investigation by examining magistrate Tareq Bitar, a judicial source said. .
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The investigation into the deadly explosion (more than 200 dead) that ravaged the port of Beirut and several districts of the capital on August 4, 2020 has been suspended for three weeks due to several legal proceedings launched against Judge Bitar, demanding that he be brought to justice. apart.
Blamed for criminal negligence, the authorities are accused by the families of the victims and NGOs of political interference to torpedo the investigation and avoid charges.
Politicians of all stripes refuse to be questioned by Tareq Bitar, even though authorities have blamed the tragedy on the careless storage of huge amounts of ammonium nitrate at the port.
Pressure intensifies on Tareq Bitar
The politicians involved have filed 16 lawsuits in different courts against Judge Bitar to obstruct the investigation, according to the judicial source.
The Court of Cassation on Thursday rejected two complaints filed by former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk deeming their summons by Judge Bitar to be illegal, according to the same source.
The Court of Cassation ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that the examining magistrate had made mistakes.
It also rejected two similar complaints filed by MPs Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaayter.
The Criminal Court of Cassation rejected Thursday a complaint filed by the former Minister of Public Works, demanding the sidelining of Judge Bitar.
These five officials had been summoned by the judge.
More than a year after the tragedy, no culprit has been identified and those responsible for negligence have largely dodged questioning.
Since the investigation began in February, Tareq Bitar has been under intense pressure, especially from the powerful pro-Iranian Hezbollah, who accuses him of politicizing the investigation, and demands his replacement.
Read also Lebanon: new suspension of the investigation into the explosion at the port of Beirut
The Court of Cassation said Thursday that all cases against Judge Bitar would be handled by a single court, chaired by Judge Naji Eid, according to the judicial source.
It is a question of "
reducing the attempts to obstruct the investigation in progress and to avoid wasting more time
", justified the Court.
Earlier Thursday, three judges tendered their resignations to protest political interference in justice.
