The Chief Public Prosecutor in Lebanon, Judge Ghassan Aouidat, has taken charge of the case concerning the "Loudesia" ship docked at the Port of Tripoli, which is carrying a shipment of Ukrainian wheat. He has tasked the Internal Security Forces Information Branch and the General Directorate of Customs with conducting preliminary investigations under his direct supervision to determine whether the cargo is indeed stolen, as Ukrainian authorities allege, in order to take appropriate legal action.
Judge Aouidat revealed that he ordered a precautionary seizure of the ship and its cargo until the investigation is completed and the surrounding circumstances are clarified. He confirmed to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that so far, the investigation has not determined whether the ship's cargo is stolen. He clarified that he assigned the Information Branch to participate in these investigations, examining the ship's documents, the bill of lading for the goods, and their source, to check for any possible forgery.
The Chief Public Prosecutor also mentioned that he requested the Information Branch to directly contact the Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Lebanon to verify whether the goods are stolen, so that the embassies can carry out the necessary communications with their authorities and obtain the required documents and records.
The Ukrainian embassy has directly intervened, announcing in a statement that it obtained a decision from emergency litigation in Lebanon for the precautionary seizure of the ship for 72 hours (three days), but the decision of the Chief Public Prosecutor stipulates that the seizure will continue until the investigation and related procedures are completed.
Judge Aouidat noted that the ship owner is of Turkish nationality and has a shipping office in Tripoli. He indicated that half of the ship's cargo is designated for Syria and the other half for Lebanon; however, the owner of the goods, who is of Syrian nationality, has opted not to unload the quantity designated for Lebanon in Tripoli and will return it to the Port of Tartus upon completion of the investigations and the release of the ship.
