The Lebanese Parliament informed the investigating judge in the Beirut Port explosion case on Friday that summoning caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab is outside his jurisdiction, after Diab failed to appear before him to provide testimony. Judge Tarek Bitar is leading the investigations related to the explosion and issued subpoenas in July to Diab and other senior officials, including former ministers who were previously charged with negligence that led to the explosion. All have denied any wrongdoing.
In a letter to the Court of Cassation, the Secretary-General of the Parliament stated that issuing a summons for the Prime Minister is not within the jurisdiction of the judiciary. The explosion occurred on August 4, 2020, due to a large shipment of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for years without proper safety measures. The explosion killed more than 200 people and injured thousands, in addition to destroying large areas of the capital.
Many Lebanese citizens are angry over the lack of accountability for any senior officials. Influential political factions accuse Bitar of bias, with the Shiite group Hezbollah accusing him this month of politicizing the issue. Sunni politicians, including former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, opposed the investigating judge's actions toward Diab, stating that the focus is solely on the position of Prime Minister, which is held by a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon’s sectarian system.
In a statement released late Thursday, former Prime Ministers, including Hariri, asserted that President Michel Aoun was aware of the presence of chemicals at the port and took no action to prevent the explosion. They stated that Aoun's immunity should be lifted and claimed that the investigation is being managed from the presidential palace. Aoun responded on Friday by saying that the accusations in the statement are regrettable, especially since he had expressed in July his willingness to testify in the case.
Bitar has not commented on the allegations that he is pursuing a political agenda. Aoun has denied responsibility for the explosion and stated that he is ready to provide his testimony. Some members of Parliament are pushing to move the investigations of senior officials to a special council that handles cases against former presidents and ministers, raising concerns that this could hinder the judicial investigation.
