Portraits of victims of the Aug. 4, 2020 port explosion are held up by relatives on Sunday in front of the port of Beirut. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lawyers for MPs and former ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil on Monday once again filed a case seeking to depose the head of the Court of Cassation Judge Naji Eid from ruling on a complaint filed against the head of the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port blast investigation, Judge Tarek Bitar, a judicial source confirmed to L’Orient Today.
Here’s what we know:
• Khalil and Zeaiter’s recent requests mean that the investigation into the port explosion is now suspended for the fifth time, according to the state-run National News Agency.
• Last Tuesday, Civil Court of Cassation judge Rola Masri sent back a previous appeal to remove Judge Eid and his advisor Rosine Ghantous from ruling in the case filed by Khalil and Zeaiter.
• Bitar’s efforts to prosecute Khalil and Zeaiter have been challenged many times as they accuse him of politicizing the investigation and exceeding his authority. Bitar’s probe was suspended for the fourth time after Khalil and Zeaiter filed a complaint against him on Dec. 23.