The Beirut Bar Association has filed, alongside some victims of the August 4 explosion (the Claimants), a lawsuit against British company Savaro Ltd.
The lawsuit was filed in the High Court of Justice in London, the association said in a statement on Monday.
It seeks indemnification for, among other things, “the failure to take any actions to secure or properly dispose of Ammonium Nitrate, causing death, injury, loss, and damage to the Claimants in the Beirut Port Explosion, for which the Claimants hold Savaro Ltd liable together with other parties.”
Following the move, Melhem Khalaf, President of the Beirut Bar Association, stated: “Every person or entity who is directly or indirectly responsible for any part of the devastation that occurred on 4 August 2020 should and will be brought to justice.”
The civil action was filed in the aforementioned court due to the fact that Savaro Ltd, the importer of the ammonium nitrate that exploded in the Port of Beirut, is incorporated in the UK and has its offices in London, which makes it subject to the jurisdiction of English courts, Khalaf explained.
“Depending on progress, other victims of the Beirut Port Explosion can either apply to join this action or institute a parallel action in due course,” he added.
Khalaf stressed that the Beirut Bar Association “will do its utmost to see justice prevail in the crime of the Beirut Port Explosion.”
He also expressed gratitude to Dechert LLP – a global law firm that’s undertaking this case pro bono at the request of Camille Abousleiman, a senior attorney at the firm – as well as to David Hart QC and his team at 1 Crown Office Row Chambers for their pro bono assistance.
