Two and a half years after the explosion in the port of Beirut - the former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has been summoned again for questioning next month - when he is accused of possible murder.
13 months since he withdrew his hand from the investigation file of the explosion in the port of Beirut, Judge Tarek Al-Bitar demanded yesterday (Monday) that the investigation be resumed.
His decision rests on a legal review that established that the judge has exclusive authority in the investigation.
The long delay was due to the politicians' refusal to cooperate and accusations directed at those responsible for the case.
The explosion at the port in Beirut (archive), photo: AP
Accordingly, three politicians were summoned for questioning during this coming February.
According to the plan, former minister Nahad Elmashnok and MP Razi Zaitar will be interrogated on Friday, February.
Former Prime Minister Diab will be interrogated on February 8th.
Today the "Reuters" news agency learned that the three politicians are accused of possible murder.
Despite this, later the Attorney General notified Judge Al-Bitar that he was still suspended from his post.
However, according to a report in the Reuters news agency, the judge accused the senior prosecutor and three other judges in connection with the explosion, and even summoned the attorney general for an investigation in February.
On August 4, 2020, a stockpile of ammonium nitrate exploded in the port of Beirut, leading to the death of 218 people and thousands of injuries.
The explosion destroyed large parts of the Lebanese capital and many lost their homes.
The ammonium was confiscated from a ship docked at the port in 2014 and has since been held in poor conditions until welding work that led to the explosion.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab with former President Michel Aoun // Photo: Reuters
The Prime Minister at the time, Hassan Diab, did decide to resign from his position, but he was accused along with other politicians of negligence at the beginning of the investigation.
As mentioned, the refusal of the politicians to cooperate and their demand to replace the judge delayed the continuation of the investigation.
In February 2021, Judge Al-Bitar replaced the previous judge in the case.
Now, Al-Bitar accuses former Prime Minister Diab of murder.
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