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PORT BLAST PROBE

No decision of the HJC after its Tuesday meeting, complaint of Badri Daher against Souheil Abboud


No decision of the HJC after its Tuesday meeting, complaint of Badri Daher against Souheil Abboud

The partially destroyed grain silos of Beirut port, on Aug. 23, 2022. (Credit: Mohammed Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)

BEIRUT — The Higher Judicial Council, which administers Lebanon's court system, has not issued a decision on appointing an alternate judge in the port blast investigation, or on appointing members of the Court of Cassation's plenary assembly, a source close to the judicial body told L'Orient-Le Jour after the council met Tuesday

The court is responsible for ruling on the many appeals that have been filed against current lead port blast probe judge Tarek Bitar. 

Appointment of an alternate judge in the case, who would rule on the fate of those detained in connection with the blast, has faced steep controversy. 

The move had been advocated for by caretaker Justice Minister Henry Khoury, who is close to the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Among the blast detainees is former Customs Director Badri Daher, who is also reputed to be close to FPM leader Gebran Bassil.

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Souheil Abboud seeks to lift obstacles facing port blast judge Tarek Bitar

The Higher Judicial Council (HJC) has held a number of meetings yet failed to reach a decision on appointing an alternate judge.

Many family members of the blast victims have criticized the idea to appoint an alternate, claiming the move could obstruct justice in the case. The Aug. 4, 2020 explosion took more than 220 lives, injured thousands of people and devastated large parts of Beirut.

Meanwhile, appointing members to the Court of Cassation's plenary assembly would once again give it quorum so that it can study the appeals filed against Bitar. 

HJC head Souheil Abboud has also faced at least one appeal, this time from Badri Daher, a judicial source confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour. The complaint was reportedly filed to the Judicial Inspection Authority for obstructing the work of the HJC. According to the same source, the acting head of the Judicial Inspection Authority Malek Saibi can either open an investigation if he considers the complaint serious, or dismiss it.

Last week, Abboud instructed Judge Jean-Marc Oueiss, a member of a chamber of the Court of Cassation, to rule on the appeal to dismiss Judge Bitar. The appeal had been presented last December by Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil, two MPs close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Both MPs had been implicated in the port blast. Judge Abboud has denounced political interference in the decision to appoint an alternate judge and in the obstruction of judicial appointments.

BEIRUT — The Higher Judicial Council, which administers Lebanon's court system, has not issued a decision on appointing an alternate judge in the port blast investigation, or on appointing members of the Court of Cassation's plenary assembly, a source close to the judicial body told L'Orient-Le Jour after the council met Tuesday. The court is responsible for ruling on the many appeals that...