Acting Cassation Public Prosecutor Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar is expected to discuss with Judge Tariq Bitar the resumption of the investigations into the 2020 Beirut Port blast, which have been halted for more than two years.
Visitors who met with Hajjar, who recently assumed his duties, reported that the judge has “a vision for resolving the legal obstacles that are hindering the work of the judicial investigator.”
Cooperation between the judicial investigator and the Cassation Public Prosecution had stopped since the beginning of February 2023, against the backdrop of the legal jurisprudence issued by Bitar, in which he stated that the judicial investigator “appointed to investigate a crime affecting state security cannot be dismissed.”
Following this decision, Bitar announced the resumption of his investigations, and issued a list of the names of other defendants, including former Cassation Public Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oweidat, and Cassation Public Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Al-Khoury, and set dates for their interrogation.
Oweidat quickly gave instructions to the judges and wrote to the Cassation Prosecutor’s office to stop dealing with Bitar permanently, and refrain from receiving any documents from him or carrying out his memos.
On Wednesday, Hajjar met with a delegation of the families of the victims of the port explosion, who expressed their fears of “attempts to silence the truth,” stressing that they were counting on his courage and how he ignores political pressure.
Sources who attended the meeting said the prosecutor promised the families of the victims that it is unacceptable for him to be the head of the Discriminatory Public Prosecution while the investigation remains frozen.
The sources added that Hajjar asked his visitors to be patient and trust his belief in their cause.
Hajjar met with Bitar days after he was appointed head of the Cassation Public Prosecution and assumed his duties. Informed sources said the meeting, which lasted over an hour, was “very positive”, signaling a new phase of cooperation between the general prosecution and judicial investigator.
