Lebanon top prosecutor, judges charged over Beirut blast

The Lebanese judge probing the devastating Beirut port blast has charged Prosecutor General Ghassan Oueidat and three judges, a first in the country’s history.

Judge Tarek Bitar decided on Monday to resume his probe into the deadly August 2020 mega-explosion despite strong political pressure that had led to a suspension of his work for more than a year.

On Tuesday, he charged eight more figures, including Lebanon’s top prosecutor Oueidat and the three judges, with “homicide, arson and sabotage”, said the judicial official on condition of anonymity.

Lebanon prosecution service rejected charges in Beirut blast probe.

One of history’s biggest non-nuclear explosions destroyed most of Beirut port and surrounding areas on August 4, 2020, killing more than 215 people and injuring over 6,500.

The blast was caused by a fire in a warehouse where a vast stockpile of the industrial chemical ammonium nitrate had been haphazardly stored for years, authorities said.

According to the judicial official, Oueidat had in 2019 overseen a security services investigation into cracks in the warehouse where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

In total, 13 people are being prosecuted, including five officials whom Bitar indicted earlier, among them former prime minister Hassan Diab and former ministers.

Relatives of the dead have been holding monthly vigils ever since the disaster, seeking justice and accountability.

Many families have placed their hopes in Bitar, who has however faced legal challenges, delays and strong resistance from Hezbollah and its allies, who accuse him of political bias.

READ MORE: Tensions over Beirut blast investigation pushes Lebanon into new crisis

Strong resistance from Hezbollah, its allies

Iran-backed Hezbollah and its ally Amal called for demonstrations to demand his dismissal in October 2021, when a gun battle broke out at a Beirut rally, and seven people were killed.

Reopening the case Monday after a 13-month suspension, Bitar charged an initial eight suspects, including General Security head Abbas Ibrahim and State Security agency chief Tony Saliba, and released five others.

In Lebanon, state institutions have been reluctant to cooperate with the domestic probe, which began the same month as the explosion.

The interior ministry has also failed to execute arrest warrants issued by Bitar, further undermining his quest for accountability.

READ MORE: Hezbollah reportedly threatens Beirut explosion investigator