The judicial investigator in the Beirut port explosion, Monday, resumed his investigations 13 months after they were suspended due to lawsuits filed successively by a number of defendants against him, and decided to release 5 detainees in the case, while he claimed against 8 others, including the Director of Public Security and the head of the State Security Apparatus.
On Monday, the Lebanese judiciary decided to release 5 detainees in the case of the Beirut port explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020, while it claimed against 8 others, including the Director of Public Security, Abbas Ibrahim, and the head of the State Security Agency, Tony Saliba, according to local media.
Private Lebanese media reported that “Judge Bitar decided to release 5 detainees, Ahmed Al-Rajab, a Syrian, Salim Shibli, a contractor for works, Michel Nahoul, director of projects at the port, Shafiq Marei, director of customs, and Sami Hussein, former director of operations at the port, without bail, with a travel ban. ".
And she added, "While 8 others were charged, including the Director of Public Security, Abbas Ibrahim, and the head of the State Security Agency, Tony Saliba."
The judicial investigator in the Beirut port explosion on Monday, despite the ongoing political pressures against him, resumed his investigations 13 months after they were suspended due to lawsuits filed successively by a number of defendants against him, according to a judicial official told AFP.
Recent judicial decisions are awaiting a response from the General Authority of the Court of Cassation regarding their acceptance or rejection.
The investigation into the explosion was suspended in December 2021 due to lawsuits filed successively by defendants, including current deputies and former ministers, against judicial investigator Tariq Bitar.
Victims' families and human rights organizations denounce attempts to obstruct access to justice in an explosion that is one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in the world, killing at least 215 people and injuring 6,500 others.
Bitar's decision to resume investigations comes about a week after he met a French judicial delegation during a visit aimed at inquiring about information requested by the French judiciary, which is conducting an investigation in Paris regarding the killing and injury of two Frenchmen in the explosion.
For her part, a spokeswoman for the victims of the Beirut port explosion said that the resumption of the investigation, which had been suspended for a long time, today, Monday, pleased the relatives of the victims.
Mariana Faddoulian, who lost her sister in the explosion, told Reuters, "We were very happy. She is the sweetest news in a long time."
To date, the investigation into the port explosion has not reached any results, due to the response requests submitted by the defendants (former deputies and ministers) against the judicial investigator Tariq Al-Bitar, which led to the suspension of the investigation since December 2021.
According to official estimates, the explosion in the port occurred in hangar No. 12, which contained about 2,750 tons of highly explosive "ammonium nitrate", which was confiscated from a ship and stored since 2014.
The explosion claimed the lives of more than 200 Lebanese, injured about 6,500 others, and damaged about 50,000 housing units. Material losses were estimated at nearly $15 billion.