The judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion has unexpectedly resumed his inquiry and charged top security officials, three judicial officials said on Monday, more than a year after his probe was frozen by political resistance. Judge Tarek Bitar's efforts to interrogate top officials over the explosion that killed 220 people and shattered Beirut have been derailed by push-back from factions including the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Senior politicians Bitar sought to interrogate included members of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement, an important Hezbollah ally, along with Hassan Diab — prime minister at the time of the blast. All of them, including former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter, have denied wrongdoing, and some say they have immunity from prosecution. The Lebanese judiciary, where appointments depend largely on political backing, has long been prone to political influence.
Read more here.
