The destroyed silos at the port of Beirut, four years after the tragedy of Aug. 4, 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
The public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Judge Jamal Hajjar, and the investigative judge in charge of the Beirut Port explosion case, Tarek Bitar, held lengthy discussions on Wednesday to review the latest developments in the investigation into the Aug. 4, 2020, blast, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
"The two magistrates discussed the steps that should accompany Judge Bitar's decision to close the investigation in the coming weeks, prior to the publication of the indictment," the agency said.
This meeting took place as families of victims gathered in scattered groups on Wednesday, as they do every 4th of the month, to demand justice for their deceased or injured loved ones.
On one side was the Association of Families of Beirut Port Victims, which supports Bitar and denounces the pressure and intimidation campaigns he has faced. On the other was the Gathering of Relatives of Victims and the Injured of the Beirut Port, which is close to the Hezbollah-Amal alliance and opposes the judge’s work.
Furthermore, and still according to the NNA, Bitar received, via the public prosecutor’s office at the Court of Cassation, a written response from the German authorities, in reply to a request for international assistance he had sent to Berlin several months ago.
This concerns the movement of bank accounts belonging to individuals suspected of being linked to the ammonium nitrate that exploded at the port. The investigative judge is also awaiting replies to other requests for mutual assistance sent to several European and Arab countries.
On Aug. 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated much of the Lebanese capital, leaving more than 220 dead and 6,500 wounded.
This explosion was caused by a fire in a port warehouse where several tons of ammonium nitrate were improperly stored, despite repeated warnings sent to the highest authorities, who have been accused of negligence.
