Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the state, pausing the ongoing prosecution against him.
Hassan Diab is being investigated over the Beirut Blast and was summoned by Judge Tarek Bitar for questioning and failed to previously appear. It compelled Judge Bitar to reschedule the hearing session.
Diab’s lawsuit against the state has for effect to stop the investigation against him until a further decision is taken, hence allowing him to skip today’s hearing session.
Judge Bitar is in charge of the investigation of the Beirut Blast that took the lives of more than 234 people and left more than 6500 injured.
This lawsuit now is one among several others filled by previous ministers as a legal way to avoid being questioned, obstructing as such the investigation of this high-profile case involving Lebanese officials.
Former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter, who were charged with negligence in this case, have also filed a lawsuit before the court of Cassation on Wednesday.
Alongside those lawsuits against the state, many requests to dismiss investigating judge have been submitted since he started working on the case in February.
It has been the case by the same previous ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter, who filed removal requests against the judge earlier in October after the latter issued an arrest warrant for Khalil.
The Court of Cassation rejected those requests, allowing Judge Bitar to continue his investigation, but it didn’t stop the political class to continue trying all possible legal procedures possible to avoid justice.
His predecessor in charge of the investigation, Judge Fadi Sawan, was dismissed using similar legal tactics.
In a similar move, Nouhad Al-Mashnouq is now suing the Lebanese government to prevent Judge Bitar to interrogate him.
