Lebanon “cannot pretend” to be a state if answers are not found to questions about the deadly Beirut port explosion in 2020, the country's Justice Minister has said.
No one has been held accountable for one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, which killed more than 220 people, injured thousands and flattened large parts of the Lebanese capital.
Nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the port for years exploded on August 4 that year despite repeated warnings to the authorities.
Physical wounds are visible across Beirut, while the mental and emotional scars linger for its people every day, but justice appears elusive.
The tragedy exposed the deep-rooted corruption and negligence at the heart of Lebanon’s dysfunctional political and judicial systems.
Efforts to investigate the explosion have been repeatedly frustrated by political interference, legal challenges and the removal of lead investigators, leaving victims’ families still searching for answers five years later.
Tarek Bitar, the current investigative judge, has been threatened and faced challenges in summoning the senior figures he has fought to interrogate. He is finally making some progress after years of constant impediments – although a long road ahead remains.
“When you have a blast of the dramatic impact of the port blast, a state that is not able to give answers and ensure accountability to its citizens is a state not fulfilling its role,” said Justice Minister Adel Nassar.
“I understand the families, all the victims, that they want a decision as soon as possible. But I think they understand that the main criteria is to ensure he [Mr Bitar] completed his work and he got sufficient evidence supporting his findings,” Mr Nassar told The National in an interview at his office in Beirut, days before the fifth anniversary of the explosion.
Mr Nassar assumed the role earlier this year in the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, himself a former judge and former chief of the International Court of Justice.
Mr Salam's team has sought to bring about reform in a country long plagued by institutional malaise, and the Prime Minister has repeatedly said that accountability over the blast is one his key objectives.
“It’s one of the priorities and nobody will accept that this major dramatic event remains without answers, without a trial, without a proper judicial system acting in this respect,” said Mr Nassar.
Justice delayed
Mr Bitar’s investigation has been fraught with challenges from the start. He was not the original lead judge in the immediate aftermath of the explosion and, at one point, was stripped of his authority by Lebanon’s then leading prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat – who himself had been charged in connection with the case. Mr Bitar also faced a barrage of lawsuits filed by senior officials seeking to avoid interrogation.
But, in January, he reopened the case again. Shortly after, his powers were reinstalled by Lebanon's new lead prosecutor and some – although not all – high officials who resisted interrogation for months, if not years, eventually appeared for questioning.
Mr Oueidat, however, refused on Thursday to be notified of a hearing scheduled by Mr Bitar for questioning on Monday as a suspect in the case.
The investigation's reactivation has coincided with the arrival of a new president and a reform-minded government, raising cautious hopes for a shift in approach.
“Maybe there is a coincidence between my arrival to the ministry and the fact that he [Mr Bitar] is being able to conduct his work without obstacles,” said Mr Nassar.
“A coincidence?” The National asked. “Why not?” the Minister responded, with a smile and shrug of his shoulders.
Mr Nassar said he has no formal role in the investigation, and that no good justice minister should have one in this case or any other.
“It’s clear that the Ministry is not in charge of the investigation and is not supposed to interfere in the investigation. And I'm clearly not interfering,” Mr Nassar said.
“My role is to ensure that the investigative judge will have all the tools he may require to continue his work and to prevent any political interference in his work.”
He added: “I tried to support any requirements or demand he brought, I'm very happy that French investigative judges came to Lebanon to share information with him,” referring to a French delegation that was on the ground two weeks after the blast and was allowed to share its findings with Mr Bitar once the investigation resumed.
The contents of the French findings are not known to Mr Nassar, but it is hoped the exchange of information between judicial officials will support the case.
“I made the contacts to ensure that they could come and share information. But I didn't even meet them, it's not my role to meet them.
“We really have to respect the separation of powers in Lebanon. In a democracy, you have a proper separation. I am a minister, I am not supposed to ask questions regarding the merit of a judge's work.”
Mr Nassar said he has ensured there is proper co-operation between Mr Bitar and Lebanon's lead prosecutor. He also reiterated his solidarity with families of the victims.
“It is one of the most terrible crimes that occurred. It is the duty of the state to give this file a full effort, because we cannot pretend we have a state, and at the same time, not be able to address this terrible blast,” he said.
