Latest news with #TarekBitar
L'Orient-Le Jour
12 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Nawaf Salam declares day of national mourning on Aug. 4
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a circular on X declaring a national day of mourning on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the tragic explosion at Beirut Port. On Aug. 4, 2020, this explosion was caused by the detonation of large quantities of ammonium nitrate stored in the port area of the Lebanese capital, resulting in the deaths of 235 people and injuring 6,500 others. The investigation led by Judge Tarek Bitar has, since its launch in 2021, been obstructed by numerous complaints and motions filed against him by various officials he has prosecuted.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Aug. 4 inquiry, Gaza war: Metropolitan Audi slams leaders' silence
BEIRUT — Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi on Sunday criticized leaders for staying silent about the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion, as a judge nears issuing an indictment after recent hearings. Among those summoned, two refused to appear before Judge Tarek Bitar: former minister Ghazi Zeaiter, cited over the unloading and storage of the ammonium nitrate that caused the blast while he was Public Works and Transport minister — which oversees the port — and former prosecutor-general Ghassan Oueidat. Recalling that Lebanon will mark in a few days the fifth anniversary of the Aug. 4 disaster, which left more than 220 dead and 6,500 wounded, Archbishop Audi criticized the fact that 'many are those who close their eyes to truth and justice and remain silent out of fear, cowardice, complicity or personal interest.' Bitar's investigation has been stymied, since its launch in 2021, by numerous lawsuits and objections filed against him by various officials he has prosecuted. 'Is it permissible to starve people' in Gaza? From St. George's Cathedral in downtown Beirut, the metropolitan also condemned the silence of leaders in the face of the region being 'submerged in blood and tears.' 'The world is blind; it does not see the deaths of children or the suffering of innocents because it is steeped in evil and sin, and far from God,' he said. 'Is it permissible to starve people, to displace them from their land or to kill them? What has blinded the eyes of the world's leaders and silenced their conscience to the point that they remain silent about what is happening on the land of Christ?' he added, alluding to the ongoing bloody Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has left tens of thousands dead, and to the enclave's blockade amid cries of famine. Numerous organizations have in recent days warned of a rise in cases of malnutrition, mainly among children, while the international community has pressured Israel to allow in aid, which finally took place to a limited extent Sunday with air drops and permission for trucks to enter the besieged territory from the Egyptian side of the border.
LBCI
7 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Selective accountability: Lebanese Parliament acts on Bouchikian amid demands for broader justice
Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi In a rare and sudden move, the Lebanese Parliament is set to vote Wednesday on lifting the parliamentary immunity of MP and former Minister George Bouchikian, allowing the judiciary to proceed with an investigation into allegations of corruption, bribery, embezzlement, and extortion involving factory owners. The decision follows two meetings in recent weeks between the Parliament's Bureau and the Administration and Justice Committee, which led to the formation of a parliamentary investigative committee. That committee, comprising MPs Georges Adwan, Alain Aoun, and Marwan Hamadeh, has submitted a formal recommendation to the General Assembly to lift Bouchikian's immunity. The vote requires a simple majority—only 65 MPs need to be present, and just 33 votes are necessary to pass the motion, making approval all but certain. The anticipated move would mark a rare moment of accountability in Lebanese legislative history. The last time Parliament lifted a member's immunity was in 2000, when MPs Habib Hakim and Yehya Chamas faced legal proceedings. Before that, it was Chahé Barsoumian in 1999. While the decision is being welcomed as a positive step toward enabling judicial investigations, it has raised broader questions about selective accountability. Critics are questioning why the Parliament failed to act on similar requests from Judge Tarek Bitar in the Beirut Port blast case, specifically involving MPs Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaiter—both of whom have long benefited from political protection. Observers note that Bouchikian's expulsion from the Armenian Tashnag party's parliamentary bloc may have made him an easier political target. The concern, they say, is whether the move signals genuine reform or simply a convenient exception. Calls for broader accountability persist. The Parliament is also expected to vote on the formation of a committee to investigate alleged corruption in the Telecommunications Ministry during the tenures of former ministers Nicolas Sehnaoui, Boutros Harb, and Jamal Jarrah. That effort also requires 65 votes, a number insiders believe can be secured. Still, activists and citizens alike are asking why the Parliament has not launched similar probes into numerous other allegations of corruption and public fund mismanagement involving former ministers from key portfolios such as finance, public works, energy, interior, foreign affairs, and the displaced. For many, lifting Bouchikian's immunity will only carry weight if it marks the beginning of a broader effort to hold all officials accountable—regardless of their political affiliations.
The National
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon cannot call itself a state without answers to Beirut port explosion, says Justice Minister
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.
The National
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon cannot call itself a state without answers to Beirut blast, says Justice Minister
Lebanon 'cannot pretend' to be a state if answers are not found over the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast, 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 devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital. The explosion was caused by the detonation of nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the port for years, despite repeated warnings to Lebanese authorities. The physical wounds are still present throughout Beirut, while the mental and emotional scars linger for its people every day, with justice still out of reach. The tragedy exposed the deep-rooted corruption, negligence and dysfunction at the heart of Lebanon 's political and judicial systems. Efforts to investigate the blast have been repeatedly obstructed by political interference, legal challenges and the removal of lead investigators, leaving victims' families still searching for answers five years later. The current investigative judge Tarek Bitar has previously been threatened and faced challenges summoning 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 Premier 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 Judge 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-top 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 top prosecutor and some – although not all – top 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 judicial 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 top 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.
