The judicial file related to the Beirut port explosion, whose forensic investigations were suspended for more than a year due to the temporary suspension of Judge Tarik Al-Bitar, with rebuttal and unresolved lawsuits filed against him, seems that it will be moved again, this time from the window of the 17 detainees who are being held.
In this context, LBCI information reveals that the four judges of the Supreme Judicial Council, Dany Shibli, Habib Mezher, Elias Richa, and Mireille Haddad, who last week called the council to a session that did not have a quorum, and it was devoted to discussing the port investigation file, whereby it was expected to discuss appointing a judge delegated to decide on the release of the detainees, they will soon send an invitation new to a meeting of the Judicial Council, because of their belief in the necessity of their movement as a judicial reference to restore life to the investigations of the crime, and to achieve justice for the families of the victims and the detainees at the same time, so will the quorum be secured this time?
In addition to the four judges, Shibli, Mazhar, Risha, and Haddad, the Judicial Council is headed by Judge Suhail Abboud, and the Public Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oweidat, holds the position of his deputy. In addition to them, Judge Afif Al-Hakim is also a member.
Practically speaking, we are talking about seven members; the legal quorum for any meeting is six members. Abboud and Al-Hakim refused to participate in the last session because they objected to the name of Judge Samaranda Nassar, who was proposed as a delegated judge by the Minister of Justice. As for Oweidat, he was absent from the last session since he had previously stepped down from dealing with the port file because of his kinship with one of the defendants, former minister Ghazi Zaiter.
The Supreme Judicial Council held another meeting on Saturday virtually to keep up with the arrest case of William Noun, brother of the martyr of the fire brigade, Joe Noun, and all council members adopted the statement issued by the council except for Abboud.
Thus for the first time, a distinction between Al-Hakim and Aweidat from Abboud occurred, which prompted to asking the following question: Will Aweidat and Al-Hakim attend the next meeting with Shibli, Mazhar, Richa, and Al-Haddad, so that the quorum is secured, and when matters reach a vote on the appointment of the delegated judge, Aweidat abstains from voting because of his stepping down from the port file, while keeping the quorum, so the session continues?
All possibilities are possible, especially since the Supreme Judicial Council had previously voted unanimously, with its seven members, on the proposal of the Minister of Justice related to the appointment of the delegated judge, especially since everyone in the Palace of Justice became aware of the upcoming US sanctions against the Lebanese state if Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken signed the request submitted to him to implement The Levinson Act on Lebanon, which considers one of those arrested in the port explosion, Mohammad Ziyad al-Awf, a Lebanese citizen with American citizenship, as a hostage once since he has been detained without trial.
All possibilities exist, including the appointment of a delegated judge to decide on releases, but who said that the judicial investigator, Judge al-Bitar, would cooperate with the delegated judge if the Supreme Judicial Council appointed him? And who said al-Bitar would hand over the port investigation file to the delegated judge so that the latter would decide on releases?
Anyone who knows Tarik al-Bitar knows he will not recognize the assigned judge, whatever his name is. The reason is that he refuses to go through a half-solution that includes the detainees and keeps the judicial investigation stalled, and he will not submit to any pressure, whatever its source.