Latest news with #TarekBitar
LBCI
2 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Beirut Port blast judge summons MP Ghazi Zaiter for questioning on June 13
Judge Tarek Bitar, the lead investigator in the Beirut Port explosion case, has scheduled a questioning session for former Public Works Minister MP Ghazi Zaiter for Friday, June 13. Zaiter is to be interrogated as a defendant in the case.
LBCI
23-05-2025
- LBCI
Judge Tarek Bitar questions udges Jad Maalouf and Carla Chawah in Beirut Port explosion case
The judicial investigator in the Beirut Port explosion case, Judge Tarek Bitar, questioned Judges Jad Maalouf and Carla Chawah on Friday as defendants in the case, in the presence of their defense attorneys and representatives of the personal plaintiffs, according to the National News Agency.
The National
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon's new political elite revive Beirut blast probe but hurdles still lie ahead
It is nearly five years since one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history ripped through Beirut, killing more than 200 people and wreaking carnage. The city still sports visible wounds today – the shattered grain silo that helped shield the Lebanese capital sits on the Beirut waterfront as a morbid reminder of the tragedy. The domestic investigation has been repeatedly impeded and undermined in a country where the judiciary has long dealt with political interference. The lead investigative judge Tarek Bitar, who has charged and sought to interrogate some of Lebanon's most powerful figures at the time of the blast in August 2020, has had to navigate potholes more difficult than the country's dilapidated roads. He has been reportedly threatened by Hezbollah, stripped of his ability to do his job by his own boss, and faced a litany of legal challenges by the top officials he sought to question. Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of the Iran-backed group, also accused Mr Bitar of bias. Almost five years on, there now finally appears to be progress – but the road ahead remains long and full of challenges, despite Mr Bitar formally reopening the investigation in January. Those top officials who resisted interrogation have been questioned in recent weeks, while powers stripped from Mr Bitar have been reinstalled by Lebanon's top prosecutor. A rejuvenated judiciary and the cabinet's approval of a draft law that would ensure judicial independence would be the icing on the cake. A senior official said: 'Without a proper investigation regarding the port blast, we will not be in a position to say we are building a state, because a state that is not capable to conduct an investigation in relation to a huge event with so many humanitarian impacts, is not a country which can pretend that it defends the rule of law.' Hope is a fleeting word for families of the victims, who despite the uphill task for justice continue to hold monthly vigils for their loved ones. 'Things are getting better now with the investigation,' said Mariana Foudalian, whose 29-year-old sister Gaia was killed in the explosion. But she cautioned that 'we still have [a long] way to go,' referring to the flurry of legal complaints issued against Mr Bitar that had previously held up the case. 'Nothing is easy, it's been years that we've been working on it,' she said. 'People ask us if we have hope and always our answer is that we can't say that we have hope by sitting at home and not working on justice in a country like Lebanon. So we have to always push hard,' she said. The arrival in January of a new president, prime minister and government has largely been seen viewed as a catalyst for the investigation. Both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the former top judge at the International Court of Justice, have made it clear that independence of the judiciary is paramount. A senior government official and families of the victims highlight the change in the justice minister, who emboldened Mr Bitar to carry out his work. 'It seems the prosecutor is satisfied with the conditions under which he can act,' the official said. It is understood that the new government made it clear to Mr Bitar that they will ensure his ability to conduct his investigation without political obstructions or interference. The senior government source pointed to those now sought for questioning who had previously refused to attend hearings. They also highlighted how a French judicial delegation, which was on the ground two weeks after the blast, was allowed to share its findings with Mr Bitar once the investigation resumed. The contents of the French findings are not known, but it is hoped the exchange of information between judicial officials will support the case. 'It's very important that the investigations go to the end,' the Lebanese government official said. 'We are here to support the judges in their work and give them all the means they need to conduct their investigation to the end. 'But we are aware that there will be no confidence from the population [in] the state or judiciary if this investigation is not completed.' Rights groups and families of the victims welcomed a decision earlier this year by Lebanon's Interim Public Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar to reverse a ruling by his predecessor that stopped security forces and the prosecution office from working with Mr Bitar. He had reopened the case in the days after Lebanon's new leaders came to power – and two years after it had previously stalled. Mr Bitar summoned 12 officials from the port authority, army, security branch and customs for questioning. Previously he had sought to question security chiefs and ministers. In recent weeks, leading officials such as Maj Gen Abbas Ibrahim, who was head of general security from 2011-2023, and Hassan Diab, who was prime minister at the time of the blast, have appeared for the first time in front of Mr Bitar. Mr Diab has previously refused to attend hearings, arguing Mr Bitar lacked the jurisdiction to try the case, while Maj Gen Ibrahim has fielded lawsuits against the judge. Maj Gen Ibrahim's office said he attended the hearings out of respect for Lebanon's judiciary and families of the victims. Mr Bitar had sought to restart the probe last September – before the new government was elected – but this was delayed because of Israel's war on Lebanon. 'It's been five years and we are still working and continue until we get there and get justice. And we need complete justice, not half of the justice,' said Ms Foudalian. 'We know that we have a long way still but things are better and we hope that after the new judiciary elections things will also be better. We hope that we won't get obstructions like before,' she added.
L'Orient-Le Jour
05-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Families of victims praise 'positive dynamic, great progress' in investigation
The association of the families of the victims of the Aug. 4, 2020, explosion at the port of Beirut, which meets every fourth of the month to demand justice, praised in a statement on Sunday "a positive dynamic and great progress in the port case." Signs of this dynamic include Investigative Judge at the Court of Justice Tarek Bitar, who has for the first time questioned politicians in April: former minister Nouhad Machnouk on April 17 and former Prime Minister Hassan Diab on April 25. "On this 57th month since the explosion at the port of Beirut, the truth remains captive, justice confiscated, and the criminals are free," lamented the statement, as the judicial investigation aimed at determining the responsibilities for this tragedy, which claimed the lives of 235 people and injured more than 6,500 others, has not yet concluded. Renewing the call to shed full light on this tragedy and for "the independence of the Lebanese judiciary," the association reminds "all those who promised to deliver justice – the President of the Republic Joseph Aoun, the Justice Minister Adel Nasser, the Prime Minister Nawaf Salam – that we have indeed perceived a positive dynamic and a great progress in the port case." The families had already praised in March Tarek Bitar, who took a decisive initiative in mid-January to continue his investigations by prosecuting 12 security officials and port officials, summoned for hearings that began on Feb. 7. "To investigative judge Tarek Bitar, we say, the prayers of the mothers accompany your steps. And we remind those obstructing that the blood of our children is not a tool for political maneuvering, and that history will not forgive the accomplices, whether they wear an official uniform or a diplomat's tie! All are under the authority of the law," continued the families, before concluding on the necessity to complete the investigation in order to pay tribute "to the victims, to the martyrs and to the homeland."
L'Orient-Le Jour
02-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
French delegation receives information from Lebanese judiciary concerning Beirut Port investigation
The French judicial delegation once again met with Judge Tarek Bitar on Wednesday, who is in charge of the investigation into the explosion at Beirut's port that occurred in 2020, and reviewed the data in his possession that will help them establish an expert report, according to information obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour. The visit by the French magistrates was described as "a coordination effort with Judge Bitar in the context of assisting the investigation," according to the same source. The data obtained by the French investigators could help them establish an expert report – such as causes of the fire, causes of the two explosions. This report will focus on technical questions without including responsibilities, such as those related to the unloading and storage of nitrate and could thus contribute to the Lebanese investigation. A judicial source told L'Orient-Le Jour that the French judges might assist Judge Bitar in executing his international letters rogatory, particularly by interrogating foreign parties. The same source described the visit of the French magistrates as "useful." During the meetings, the French delegation expressed its full support for the ongoing judicial process in Lebanon and affirmed its willingness to contribute to the success of this process, to shed full light on the facts and ensure the proper functioning of justice. Both parties expressed satisfaction with the level of coordination and judicial cooperation in place, highlighting its positive impact on the advancement of the investigation. It was agreed to keep the content of the deliberations confidential, respecting the principle of investigative confidentiality and under applicable legal rules, according to the National News Agency (NNA). This exchange of information occurred while the Lebanese magistrate has so far been unable to access foreign investigative elements, due to his travel ban imposed by the local judiciary in January 2023 and his inability to send letters rogatory abroad. On Aug. 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring more than 6,500 others. Shortly thereafter, the French judiciary presented three technical reports based notably on soil analysis and satellite images. However, according to an informed source, these images did not prove helpful to the investigation. The explosion was triggered by a fire in a warehouse at the Beirut port where tons of ammonium nitrate were stored without precaution, despite repeated warnings to senior officials, accused of negligence. An investigation was opened in Lebanon, but Bitar had to interrupt it in January 2023, facing hostility from part of the political class, notably Hezbollah, as well as a series of legal actions against him. He resumed his investigations in early 2025 and questioned several former officials, including the former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the former Interior Minister, Nohad Mashnouk. The resumption of investigations coincided with the election of Joseph Aoun as president and the formation of a government led by reformist Nawaf Salam, both of whom committed to respecting judicial independence. It comes at a time when Hezbollah's influence has weakened, following an open war with Israel that ended on Nov. 27, 2024, with a cease-fire. Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, criticize Judge Bitar's investigation, which they consider "politicized" since he launched proceedings against several officials associated with Amal, including former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter.
