Several Lebanese officials have come together to file a lawsuit against the judicial investigator of the Beirut Blast, Judge Tarek Bitar, sources told LBCI on Tuesday.
The officials behind the lawsuit that is being prepared are former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and several former ministers, according to the information. The case will be lodged to the Lebanese Criminal Court of Cassation.
The news comes a few weeks after Judge Bitar, who is leading the probe into the Beirut Port Explosion, resumed his investigations with a new set of summons and warrants against several officials and military officers.
Judge Bitar’s work continues to be disrupted by a variety of factors that fall under the umbrella of political interference, such as the retention of immunities of charged officials and the refusal of some officials to show up to interrogation sessions.
Recently, Lebanon’s Parliament sent a letter to Judge Bitar informing him that issuing a subpoena for former PM Diab did not fall under his jurisdiction and that he had exceeded his powers.
Despite that and similar obstacles, the judge continues to pursue the case, and he has set new dates for questioning three former ministers in the coming month.
He also issued a second subpoena for Diab following that letter, upon which Diab left Lebanon.
