A gathering on August 4, 2023, facing the silos at the port of Beirut. Photo L’Orient-Le Jour/Mohammad Yassine
BEIRUT — The indictment in the case of the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosions has been completed and could be submitted as early as Monday to investigating Judge Tarek Bitar, a high-ranking judicial source told L'Orient Today.
Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Mohammad Saab, who prepared the indictment, is expected to submit it to Bitar, who is in charge of the case, according to our information. Saab had been tasked with studying the file and preparing the public prosecution’s requirements first by former Prosecutor General Jamal Hajjar, and then by the current head of the prosecutor’s office, Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, after Bitar had closed his investigation.
The port explosion was caused by a fire that ignited hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for years without adequate safety measures. The investigation has been stalled since the tragedy after being subjected to numerous instances of political interference.
