Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (Credit: AFP/File photo)
BEIRUT — A Lebanese prosecutor on Tuesday requested that former President Michel Aoun be charged over the 2020 Beirut port blast that killed more than 200 people, a judicial official told AFP.
The prosecutor at the Court of Cassation asked the judge overseeing the case, Tarek Bitar, to “prosecute former President Aoun,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
The official said prosecutors sought charges against Aoun because he “had prior knowledge of the presence of ammonium nitrate at the port and the danger it posed, without taking the necessary measures” or referring the matter to the country’s Higher Defense Council.
The Aug. 4, 2020, explosion killed more than 220 people, injured more than 6,500, and devastated large parts of the capital. A fire ignited 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored for years under inadequate safety conditions, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
No one has been held accountable for the blast despite public anger and demands for justice from families of the victims in a country long plagued by official impunity.
Bitar's investigation
Bitar closed his investigation March 30 and referred his findings to the Court of Cassation’s public prosecutor, who was tasked with reviewing the case and setting out the prosecution’s legal position.
Public Prosecutor Mohammad Saab submitted his 270-page review to Bitar on Tuesday, the official said. The review outlines the alleged responsibility of more than 70 people, including current and former politicians, security and military officials and civil servants, some already charged by Bitar.
The prosecutor’s review can recommend charges, but the final decision is with Bitar, who could issue an indictment in the coming weeks.
The review is expected to outline the facts attributed to those under investigation, assess the evidence gathered by Bitar and provide a legal classification of the alleged offenses. It can also recommend charges against people whom Bitar had not previously considered. In such cases, Bitar must question the individuals concerned before deciding whether to charge them.
Bitar is not bound by the prosecutor’s recommendations and retains full discretion over the case. If he issues an indictment, he will refer it to the Judicial Council, which would then open the trial.
Aoun's account
In a televised interview with journalist Ricardo Karam on Al Jadeed on Aug. 30, 2020, Aoun, who was president at the time, said that when he learned about explosives stored at the Beirut port, “it was too late.”
Aoun said he had been informed of the large quantity of explosive materials stored at the port nearly three weeks before the blast and had ordered measures to be taken. He also said he had no authority over the port facilities.
The case had been bogged down by political and legal disputes since 2023, after political campaigns demanded Bitar’s removal. Dozens of lawsuits also sought to disqualify him from the case.
Since then, several legal obstacles to Bitar’s work have been removed, including the lifting of a travel ban imposed on him.
The investigation into the blast, which has become a symbol of impunity in Lebanon, has yet to result in a trial or convictions.