The media office of Justice Minister in the caretaker government, Marie-Claude Najm, issued a statement regarding the transfer of the case related to the Beirut port explosion from investigating judge Fadi Sawan and his dismissal from it.
The National News Agency reported that the media office stated that the Ministry of Justice was informed on Thursday, February 18, 2021, of a decision issued by the Sixth Criminal Court of Cassation under number 5/2021 dated 18/2/2021, which ordered the transfer of the case from Judge Fadi Sawan and his dismissal from it. It added that the Justice Minister will take the necessary legal action in accordance with Article 360 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
In response to the decision to transfer Judge Sawan from the investigation into the Beirut port explosion, MP Fouad Makhzoumi indicated that it is a damning indication of the bankruptcy of this political class and its exploitation of the victims' blood, as accountability is forbidden in their dictionary, and this crime should not go unchallenged, as it seeks not only to protect and cover up the perpetrators but also to obscure all facts and destroy any hope of accountability."
Similarly, MP Ziad Hawat tweeted from his account: "When we called for an international fact-finding committee, we were fully aware that the political authority would not allow the judiciary to continue the investigation into the Beirut port crime and reach a bold stance without interventions and pressures. What happened today is the biggest proof of everything we demanded in this file and still do." He accompanied his tweet with the hashtag: #Yes_to_international_investigation.
In a related context, a number of young people ignited tires at the Eliya intersection in Sidon this evening, in protest against the rise in the dollar exchange rate and the deterioration of economic and living conditions, and in rejection of Judge Fadi Sawan's resignation from the investigation into the Beirut port explosion.
