View of the destroyed silos at the Port of Beirut and the skyline of the Lebanese capital, June 25, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Judge Tarek Bitar, in charge of the investigation into the Beirut Port explosion of Aug. 4, 2020, postponed the interrogation of Ghazi Zeaiter, an Amal Movement MP and former minister who is implicated in the case, to July 4.
During the hearing where he was supposed to be interrogated, Zeaiter was represented by his lawyer, Samer al-Hajj, who was informed that Bitar has not yet received the opinion of the Court of Cassation's prosecution regarding the procedural exemptions raised by the lawyer four years ago.
On Oct. 29, 2021, Hajj had invoked Bitar's alleged incompetence, arguing that the prosecution of his client falls under the responsibility of the High Court in charge of prosecuting presidents and ministers.
On Aug. 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated a significant portion of the Lebanese capital, resulting in over 220 deaths and more than 6,500 injuries. This blast was caused by a fire in a port warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate were improperly stored, despite repeated warnings to the authorities, who now stand accused of negligence.
Zeaiter was Minister of Transport and Public Works in 2014 at the time of the ammonium nitrate unloading at the Port. An investigation was opened, but Bitar had to suspend his investigations in January 2023, facing hostility from a large part of the political class, notably Hezbollah, as well as a series of judicial proceedings against him.
He resumed his investigation in early 2025 and has already interrogated several former officials, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk.
On June 13, the lawyer observed during a hearing that Bitar has not yet ruled on the procedural exemptions, while the judge cannot decide without obtaining the prosecution's opinion, which he had not received, resulting in a postponement to Friday. The prosecution's opinion had still not reached the investigative judge by Friday, leading to another postponement to July 4.
On June 13, Hajj also submitted to Bitar a certificate indicating the filing, the previous day, of a liability action against the state for his acts and decisions. He also presented a memorandum asserting that Zeaiter is an MP and that Parliament is in extraordinary session, implying he is protected by parliamentary immunity.
