Port Victims' Families to Sue Mezher as Activist Group Files Recusal Suit

The lawyers of the families of the Beirut port blast victims are preparing to take a host of legal measures Monday against Court of Appeals judge Habib Mezher, amid calls for the Higher Judicial Council to penalize him for “committing a blatant violation” and to refer him to judicial inspection, media reports said on Saturday.

The Mutahiddoun activist group meanwhile said that its lawyer Rami Ollaiq has filed a recusal lawsuit against Mezher before the Court of Appeals, noting that the judge “has political connections directly linked to the figures who have been summoned for interrogation, which allows for legitimate suspicion over his role and the motives of his decision in terms of the lack of objectivity, neutrality and impartiality.”

Mezher sparked controversy after he started looking into a recusal lawsuit filed against Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar. Court of Appeals head Habib Rizkallah later announced that he had “exclusively” tasked Mezher with handling a recusal lawsuit against Court of Appeals judge Nassib Elia, which is separate from the one filed against Bitar.

Bitar's probe into the port case was suspended on Thursday after Mezher notified him of a lawsuit filed against him by ex-minister Youssef Fenianos. Mezher also asked Bitar to hand over the details of the case to enable the court to review the lawsuit.

The Beirut-based rights group Legal Agenda warned that Mezher's request to see the full content of the investigation violates the secrecy of the probe. The group also said that Mezher's known opinions critical of Bitar may constitute bias.

According to media reports, Mezher is close to Hizbullah and the Amal Movement, which both have called for Bitar's removal and launched a fierce campaign against him over alleged selectivity in his summonings.