Years of delay: Investigations into Beirut Port explosions resume

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

If the pager explosions had not occurred and Israel had not escalated its war against Lebanon last September, the investigation into the Beirut Port explosion would have likely been nearing its conclusion by now. 

Initially expected to resume on September 18, the investigation was delayed due to escalating military tensions in the region.

However, just a few days ago, Judge Tarek Bitar resumed his work on the case, indicting ten new individuals, including three port employees, two customs officials, three officers from the General Security Directorate, and two Lebanese Army officers. 

Judge Bitar has scheduled hearings for the new defendants in February, alongside two officials from the Higher Customs Council previously indicted. 

These individuals will be formally notified of the charges through direct communication rather than through the judicial police, based on a decision by the former Public Prosecutor of Cassation Ghassan Oueidat, which restricts judicial police from handling notifications from Bitar.

Current Prosecutor General Judge Jamal Hajjar has proposed dividing the case into separate parts, a solution firmly rejected by Judge Bitar.  

The investigation is expected to continue through March and April, focusing on questioning the remaining defendants who have not yet been heard. 

If no new evidence emerges requiring additional inquiry, the investigative phase could conclude within three to four months. At that point, Judge Bitar would await the Public Prosecutor's opinion, which, while non-binding, is a necessary procedural step.  

Once this process is complete, Judge Bitar is expected to issue an indictment in a case that has haunted Lebanon for four and a half years.