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BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 35 martyrs, 75 injured in occupation targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Rafah, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Da Silva: What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide
Da Silva: Even the Jewish people do not want this war; it is revenge by a government against the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state
Brazilian President Lula da Silva: What we are seeing is not a war between two armies. [What we have is a] completely professional army that is killing women and children in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas: We affirm our readiness to immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention
Hamas: We welcome the continued Qatari and Egyptian efforts to end the war waged by the Zionist occupation against our people
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli occupation forces blew up Noura Al-Kaabi Hospital, designated for kidney dialysis patients, in the northern Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli drone targets a car on the Ayta al-Shaab-Debel road in southern Lebanon
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Yahya Saree: The remaining airlines that have not yet complied with the ban are urged to take this into serious consideration to ensure the safety of their aircraft and passengers
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Yahya Saree: The YAF, after successfully imposing a partial ban on air traffic at Lydd Airport, are now working to impose a full ban on air traffic at the aforementioned airport in the coming period

Beirut Blast judge, top prosecutor engage in legal battle: Lebanon

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 25 Jan 2023 20:54
3 Min Read

Lebanon's prosecutor general charges the judge leading the investigation into Beirut's port blast and bans him from travel.

  • x
  • Justice Palace in Beirut
    Justice Palace in Beirut

Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the investigation into Beirut's deadly 2020 port blast, refused on Wednesday to step down from the probe, rejecting charges filed against him by Lebanon's top prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat in the charged case.

Bitar dropped a surprise earlier this week charging several powerful figures -- including prosecutor general Oueidat -- over the blast and reviving a probe that was suspended for over a year amid intense political and legal pushback.

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

Oueidat charged Bitar in order to "prevent sedition"

Oueidat on Tuesday sent a letter to Bitar saying his probe remained suspended and on Wednesday issued a decision, saying the judge did not have the authority to resume his investigation.        

The prosecution service rejected the resumption of the probe. "We were only informed of Bitar's decision through the media," Oueidat told AFP, adding that "since he considers that the general prosecution doesn't exist, we will also act like he doesn't exist."

On Wednesday, Oueidat told AFP that, in order to "prevent sedition", he had "charged investigative judge Tarek Bitar and banned him from travel for rebelling against the judiciary and usurping power."

Bitar says he will not step down

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On his part, Bitar said he is still "the investigative judge and I will not step down from this case."

Oueidat "cannot charge a judge who has already charged him," he told AFP, adding that the chief prosecutor "has no authority to charge me."

He told Reuters that he would "continue until I issue an indictment" and said that Oueidat "had no right" to file the charge or release detainees.

A judicial official said Oueidat, who has rejected the charges, had summoned Bitar for Thursday morning but that the investigating judge would "not appear for questioning."

A US State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that "we support and urge Lebanese authorities to complete a swift and transparent investigation into the horrific explosion at the Port of Beirut."

Authorities said the mega-explosion was caused by a fire in a portside warehouse where a vast stockpile of the industrial chemical ammonium nitrate had been haphazardly stored for years.

Oueidat releases all those detained over the explosion

Bitar resumed work on the investigation after a 13-month hiatus, charging eight top officials over the blast -- including Oueidat, the head of General Security Abbas Ibrahim, and State Security agency chief Tony Saliba.

Oueidat, who has rejected the charges, on Wednesday ordered the "release of all those detained over the Beirut port explosion case, without exception" and banned them from travel, according to a judicial document seen by AFP.

Those ordered released include a dual American-Lebanese citizen, as well as the port chief and the head of customs Badri Daher.

Bitar has planned to question 14 suspects next month, including five officials whom he had indicted earlier -- among them ex-prime minister Hassan Diab and former ministers.

Read more: “Truth Uncovered": Al Mayadeen's Exclusive Documentary on Beirut Port Blast

  • Beirut port blast
  • Beirut
  • Beirut port explosion
  • Beirut blast
  • Tarek Bitar
  • Lebanon
  • Ghassan Oueidat

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