Lebanese ex-minister asks that port blast judge be replaced

BEIRUT — A erstwhile Lebanese authorities curate connected Wednesday asked the country’s apical tribunal to region the pb justice investigating past year’s monolithic detonation successful Beirut’s larboard due to the fact that of allegedly “legitimate suspicion” implicit his handling of the case, authorities media reported.

The improvement is the latest successful a year-long saga surrounding the probe into the explosion, which plunged Lebanon into different governmental situation and accelerated an already unprecedented economical meltdown.

The country’s authorities resigned aft the Aug. 4, 2020 detonation and bickering governmental parties lone this period agreed connected a caller government. Also, months into the probe, the pb justice moving the probe was removed by the Court of Cassation aft akin charges were filed against him by elder authorities officials.

The petition Wednesday by the erstwhile nationalist works minister, Youssef Fenianos, came a week aft Judge Tarek Bitar issued an apprehension warrant for him aft helium failed to look successful tribunal for questioning. It’s not wide whether the Court of Cassation volition instrumentality up Fenianos’ suit and if it does, it volition person to analyse the lawsuit and past determine whether to disregard oregon judge the request

The justice has accused Fenianos and 3 different erstwhile elder authorities officials with intentional sidesplitting and negligence that led to the deaths of much than 200 radical successful the explosion. Over 6,000 were injured successful the monolithic blast that besides devastated a ample conception of Beirut.

Fenianos is simply a elder authoritative with the Christian Marada Movement, a adjacent state of Lebanon’s almighty militant Hezbollah group. He said successful a statement, carried by the state-run Lebanese News Agency, that his petition was motivated by “concern for justice” and accused an unnamed enactment of wanting “to blasted maine arsenic a erstwhile curate of nationalist works” for the blast.

However, the petition was harshly criticized by quality rights activists and angered the families of the victims, which claimed it was different ploy to “prevent the truth.”

“It is outrageous that Lebanese politicians deliberation they tin conscionable regenerate a justice each clip helium tries to clasp them accountable until 1 is appointed that is to their liking,” said Aya Majzoub, a Lebanon researcher from Human Rights Watch.

The warrant against Fenianos was the archetypal successful the year-old probe that has deed galore snags, peculiarly successful implicating elder officials. Fenianos is 1 of a fig of erstwhile authorities officials who person declined to look earlier Bitar. The justice has besides summoned the erstwhile and existent information chiefs; the erstwhile main has besides refused to look successful court.

More than a twelvemonth later, determination are inactive nary answers to what triggered the explosion, and nary 1 has been held accountable. Rights groups and section media revealed that astir authorities officials knew of the beingness successful the larboard of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive worldly utilized successful fertilizers, that had been improperly stored determination for years.

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb successful Beirut contributed to this report.