Beirut blast judge survives attempt to remove him from investigation

Former ministers try to oust Tarek Bitar as victims' families accuse politicians of stalling the probe into 2020's deadly port explosion

A Lebanese court on Monday dismissed requests to remove the judge leading the investigation into the Beirut port blast, paving the way for Tarek Bitar to resume work after a week-long suspension.

The Court of Appeal said it had no authority to rule on requests filed by former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zeaiter, and Nohad Mashnouk to replace Mr Bitar.

All three politicians said the judge had overstepped his legal authority by seeking to prosecute senior officials who enjoy parliamentary immunity.

The court ordered the three officials to cover legal fees of 800,000 Lebanese pounds ($45 on the black market rate).

Mr Bitar’s summons was also snubbed by former prime minister Hassan Diab and ex-public works minister Youssef Finianos.

The judge issued an arrest warrant for Mr Finianos in September after he failed to appear for questioning.

Mr Finianos later asked the Supreme Court to remove Mr Bitar over questions of his impartiality. The court has yet to rule on the request.

The Supreme Court removed Mr Bitar’s predecessor, Fadi Sawan, after Mr Zeaiter and Mr Khalil, both members of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's political bloc, filed appeals on the same grounds.

Parliament had denied Mr Bitar’s request to question senior officials, saying they should instead be prosecuted before a special body that includes MPs and senior judges, as stipulated by the constitution.

The victims' families have since accused politicians of stalling and attempting to block the investigation into the August 2020 explosion that killed at least 214 people and destroyed large parts of the capital.

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  Members of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces lay flowers in front of a memorial to the victims of the explosion in Beirut's port last year.

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  Portraits of victims of last year's Beirut port blast.

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  A man, right, hangs a giant Lebanese flag on a building that was damaged in last year's blast.

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  France's President Emmanuel Macron remotely attends a Lebanon donors' conference one year after the Beirut port blast.

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  Police hold flowers to mark the anniversary of Beirut's 2020 port blast on August 5.

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  Police hold flowers to mark the anniversary of Beirut's massive 2020 port blast.

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  Police hold flowers to mark the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion.

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  Banners reading 'Here starts your end and our beginning' and 'Hostages of a murderous state' hang on a building damaged in last August's port blast, as Lebanon marks a year since a the cataclysmic explosion devastated Lebanon's capital.

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  A gavel monument symbolising justice can be seen in front of the damaged grain silos at Beirut port, as Lebanon marks a year since an explosion ravaged the country's capital.

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  Supporters of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement release white balloons to mark one year since the huge explosion in Beirut's port. At least 200 people were killed, and more than 6,000 injured in the blast on August 4, 2020.

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  Supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement release paper lanterns to mark one year since a huge explosion in Beirut's port.

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  A man in a wheelchair flies a Lebanese flag during a protest demanding justice for the victims of last year's Beirut port blast.

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  Demonstrators gather outside Beirut port on the anniversary of the blast that ravaged the city last August. Hundreds of Lebanese marched on August 4 to mark the explosion, protesting against impunity over the country's worst peacetime disaster at a time when its economy was already in tatters.

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  Relatives of Beirut port blast victims arrive for a remembrance ceremony at the site of the explosion on the first anniversary of the disaster.

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  Relatives of Beirut port blast victims arrive for a remembrance ceremony at the site of the explosion on the first anniversary of the disaster.

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  Demonstrators gather by the statue of 'The Lebanese Emigrant' near Beirut port on the first anniversary of the blast that ravaged the port and the city.

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  A demonstrator marches with a sign showing one of the young victims of the 2020 Beirut blast.

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  People carry flags and banners as they march to mark the anniversary of Beirut's port blast.

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  Priests pray near the remains of Beirut port on the first anniversary of the blast that ravaged the port and the city.

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  Demonstrators in Lebanon's capital march past a statue symbolising "Beirut rising from destruction" on their way towards the port on the first anniversary of the blast that ravaged the city.

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  France's President Emmanuel Macron talks to his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun during a remote international conference to raise aid for the country. France has pledged about €100 million ($118.3m) in emergency aid as well as 500,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses for Lebanon.

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  Nuns pray during a mass organised at the Beirut port with the relatives of last year's blast victims.

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  A priest comforts the relative of a blast victim at a Mass organised in Beirut.

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  Families and relatives of people killed in the blast carried portraits of their loved ones to the commemoration Mass in Beirut.

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  Families and relatives of victims of the explosion at Beirut port attend a Mass held to commemorate the anniversary.

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  Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai arrives to lead a Mass in memory of people who died in the explosion.

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  Relatives of people who died in the 2020 Beirut blast attend a Maronite Christian Mass at the city’s port.

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  A relative of a victim of the blast weeps as she attends the Mass.

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  A fire engine carrying portraits of blast victims is driven during a remembrance ceremony at the port of Lebanon’s capital.

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  Relatives of the Beirut port blast victims arrive for a remembrance ceremony at the Lebanese capital’s port.

Court decision gives hope to victims' families

Families of the victims held their monthly sit-in on Monday to mark the anniversary of the blast and demand justice. A few dozen people, mostly dressed in black, gathered at the port.

Protesters held up photos of loved ones who were killed in the explosion and banners that read "We have had enough, we want the truth".

More than a year later, it remains unclear what triggered the explosion of hundreds of tonnes of chemical fertiliser that were stored for over six years at the port. Questions also remain over who owned the ammonium nitrate and why it was stockpiled for so long at such a vital facility.

The court's decision has given hope to the families, they say, that justice may be served.

Sania Matta, who lost her 24-year-old son last August, told The National: "For once we have hope that the truth will be uncovered. God protect Judge Bitar."

A relative of a victim who was killed in the massive blast last year at the Beirut port attaches portraits during Monday's sit-in. AP

Reports have linked the shipment of explosive chemicals to businessmen with ties to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, an ally of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Hezbollah has repeatedly criticised Mr Bitar and threatened to remove him from the investigation, accusing him of politicising the case.

The explosion, which toppled Mr Diab’s government and left the country without a functioning Cabinet for a year, compounded the effect of Lebanon’s financial crisis, causing billions of dollars in property damage across Beirut.

The international community has urged Lebanese officials to allow a transparent investigation, with the US and France recently voicing concerns over last week’s suspension of the inquiry.

Mariana, 31, lost her sister in the explosion. She regularly participates in sit-ins for the victims.

She said she was hopeful the case will proceed – not only because of Monday's court decision but also because she has faith in the families' perseverance.

"The families of the victims did not give up. We will never give up."