A worker sitting amidst the debris of the Beirut port on June 27, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Le-Jour)
Tarek Bitar, the investigative judge at the Court of Justice tasked with investigating the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion, continued hearings on Tuesday after resuming proceedings on Feb. 7. The investigation, stalled for nearly three years, resumed after individuals involved were notified via civil bailiffs. Since January 2023, judicial police have been barred from cooperating with Bitar by former head of public prosecution, Ghassan Oweidate, after Bitar brought charges against him in the case. Acting top Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar has refused to lift the ban. Read more Beirut Port explosions: Will Tarek Bitar finally be able to do his job? Among the four implicated persons summoned on Tuesday was Assaad Toufeily, former chairman of the Higher Customs Council. He did not appear due to an error in the notification address....
Tarek Bitar, the investigative judge at the Court of Justice tasked with investigating the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion, continued hearings on Tuesday after resuming proceedings on Feb. 7. The investigation, stalled for nearly three years, resumed after individuals involved were notified via civil bailiffs. Since January 2023, judicial police have been barred from cooperating with Bitar by former head of public prosecution, Ghassan Oweidate, after Bitar brought charges against him in the case. Acting top Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar has refused to lift the ban. Read more Beirut Port explosions: Will Tarek Bitar finally be able to do his job? Among the four implicated persons summoned on Tuesday was Assaad Toufeily, former chairman of the Higher Customs Council. He did not appear due to an error in the notification address....
