View of the destroyed silos at the Port of Beirut and the skyline of the Lebanese capital, June 25, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Habib Rizkallah, the judge assigned to review former prosecutor Ghassan Oueidate’s abuse-of-power complaint against Beirut port blast investigator Tarek Bitar, completed his inquiry on Tuesday.
Ali Hassan Khalil, Amal Movement MP, and Badri Daher, former director of Customs — both implicated by Judge Bitar — joined the complaint.
Judge Rizkallah sent his file to the prosecutor’s office at the Court of Cassation to obtain its opinion, as a preliminary step before issuing the indictment, which he is expected to deliver soon.
During a hearing on Nov. 6, he gave his colleague and the plaintiffs, represented by their lawyers, a 10-day deadline to submit their conclusions if they wished.
L’Orient-Le Jour has learned that the plaintiffs have submitted theirs, but it was not possible to determine whether Judge Bitar has done so as well.
A criminal magistrate interviewed by L’Orient-le Jour noted that such conclusions are usually required in civil, not criminal, matters.
Our publication has also learned that the Sofia court is due to hold a hearing on Dec. 10 to rule on Lebanon’s request for the extradition of Igor Grechushkin, presumed owner of the Rhosus ship, which delivered the ammonium nitrate that caused the double explosion at the port.
After the extradition request was sent last September, Sofia required Lebanon to formally pledge not to impose the death penalty against Grechushkin, which Bulgaria rejects.
Lebanon has not carried out a death sentence since a moratorium was imposed in 2004.
Rubio condemns Iran's 'outrageous' attacks on Kuwait
