Bitar Forced to Suspend Port Blast Probe for 3rd Time
The judge leading investigations into last year's Beirut port blast was forced to stop work Thursday over a lawsuit filed by an ex-minister he had summoned for interrogation.
Tarek Bitar was informed of a "lawsuit submitted by former public works minister Youssef Fenianos... which forced him to pause the probe until a ruling is issued," a court official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
It is the third time that Bitar has had to suspend his probe in the face of lawsuits filed by former ministers suspected of negligence over the August 2020 explosion.
The total number of lawsuits filed against Bitar now stands at 15, according to judicial sources.
Similar temporary suspensions have plagued the course of the probe over the past weeks but previous cases to remove the judge have been turned down.
But in a sign that the suspension may be prolonged, the court asked Bitar to hand over the details of the case to enable it to review the lawsuit, according to a copy of the decision seen by The Associated Press.
The latest comes amid a campaign led by Hizbullah demanding Bitar's replacement over allegations of "bias" that have been widely dismissed by rights groups and families of blast victims.
Hizbullah's representatives in government have said they will boycott Cabinet meetings until it takes a clear stand on demands to replace Bitar.
The Cabinet, as a result, has failed to hold a single session in three weeks.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Thursday condemned attempts to force his government to intervene in judicial affairs, in a thinly veiled criticism of Hizbullah.
"We have tried as much as possible to keep the Beirut blast probe under the purview of the judiciary and we have rejected any kind of (political) interference," Miqati told a news conference.
Human rights groups and victims' relatives fear the repeated suspensions are a prelude to Bitar's removal, which would further derail the official inquiry into Lebanon's worst peace-time tragedy.
Bitar's predecessor, Fadi Sawwan, was forced to suspend his probe for the same reason before he was finally removed in February, in a move widely condemned as political interference.
04 November 2021, 17:55
01
What a farce this is becoming. Hopefully the Cour de cassation will swiftly dismiss this lawsuit as it did before.
04 November 2021, 21:36
00
We all know how this is going to end.
He will be forced to step down, in his place will be a Hizballah supporter and that will be the end of the investigation, as we all know that Hizballah is to blame.
05 November 2021, 01:43
10
But who has killed more civilians? Hizballah or your beloved state of israel? Don't you get tired of your propaganda for israel on naharnet?
05 November 2021, 07:52
10
If you really checked into the details of your first question, you would certainly find that the answer is........Hizballah.
As far as your second question is concerned I simply tell the truth against all the terrorist brainwashing you and your friends try to impose on the peace loving Lebanese public.
05 November 2021, 01:50
01
People who think the investigations will lead to justice are deluded. Have you forgotten the STL? Rafic Hariri is reported to have said "when it comes to lebanon, believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see".
At the end of the day all the crooks and criminals of the political class are protected by powerful forces. If not Saudi and Iran then France and the US. Hizballah is protected partly by France and the maronite LF with a history of hating Muslims is protected by wahhabi Saudi Arabia. Now, with complex alliances like that, no wonder nothing get solved.
