BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday (Aug 4) vowed justice and accountability five years after the catastrophic Beirut port explosion, as the investigating judge concluded questioning key defendants, a judicial official said.
Nobody has been held accountable for the Aug 4, 2020 blast, one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions, which devastated much of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500.
Authorities say the explosion was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
Judge Tarek Bitar resumed his investigation earlier this year, after a power shift following the Israel-Hezbollah war that weakened the Iran-backed militant group. Hezbollah had previously led efforts to remove Bitar from the case.
Aoun said the Lebanese state “is committed to uncovering the whole truth, no matter the obstacles or how high the positions” involved.
“The law applies to all, without exception,” he said in a statement.
Monday was declared a national day of mourning. Rallies demanding justice were planned later in the day, converging on the port.
INVESTIGATION MOVES AHEAD
Bitar has now finished questioning defendants and suspects, a judicial official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Those questioned include former prime minister Hassan Diab, as well as several military and security officials.
Some former ministers refused to appear for questioning, the official added.
Bitar is awaiting responses to requests sent to several Arab and European countries for information on related incidents. Once received, he will finalise the investigation and send the file to the public prosecution before issuing an indictment.
President Aoun said, “We are working with all available means to ensure the investigations are completed with transparency and integrity.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a former International Court of Justice judge who took office earlier this year, called the investigation a matter of national importance, denouncing a legacy of official impunity.
Despite the scale of the tragedy, no one is currently in custody over the case.
