The National News Agency reported on Friday that the judge responsible for the investigation into the Beirut port explosion that occurred last year will seek to question senior politicians and security officials nearly a year after the blast that devastated the capital. The explosion in August, caused by chemicals stored unsafely for years, worsened the political and economic crisis in the debt-laden state. Anger among Lebanese citizens has grown over the lack of accountability for any senior officials regarding the explosion, which killed hundreds, injured thousands, and destroyed entire neighborhoods in downtown Beirut.
The National News Agency stated that Judge Tarek Bitar, who took over the investigation following the dismissal of his predecessor in February, will summon caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab among others, though no dates have been set yet. It added that Bitar sent a "letter to the Parliament requesting the lifting of parliamentary immunity from former Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, former Minister of Public Works Ghazi Zeaiter, and former Minister of Interior Nohad Machnouk, in preparation for charging and pursuing them."
Zeaiter, a parliamentary deputy from the bloc of House Speaker Nabih Berri, and Khalil issued a statement later on Friday saying they would cooperate with the investigating judge to help identify those responsible for the explosion even before an authorization is issued. Machnouk refrained from commenting when contacted by Reuters.
Diab and other officials listed by the judge for questioning have not yet been reached for comment. Judge Fadi Sawan, who previously led the investigation, accused the same officials last year, but they refused to be questioned as suspects and accused him of exceeding his authority.
The agency reported that Bitar requested "from the government presidency permission to question the head of the State Security Agency, Major General Tony Saliba, as a defendant, and he requested the permission of the caretaker interior minister, Major General Mohammad Fahmy, to charge and pursue the Director General of Public Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim." Fahmy told Reuters he had not yet received a notice regarding the process but would take all necessary legal steps once informed.
Bitar's list also includes former Minister of Public Works Youssef Fenianos. Sawan was removed from the investigation by a decision from the Court of Cassation after a request from Khalil and Zeaiter, marking a major setback for the victims' families seeking justice. Sawan accused the three former ministers and the caretaker prime minister of negligence. The Court of Cassation justified Sawan's dismissal by citing what it described as legitimate doubts about his neutrality, including that his home was damaged in the explosion.
