The Lebanese government is ‘simply trying to evade justice,’ according to the lawyer who represents hundreds of Beirut blast victims
It has been a year since a monster explosion disfigured Beirut but a local probe has yet to yield significant arrests or even identify a culprit, with politicians widely accused of stalling progress.
In a country where even high-profile assassinations and bombings go unpunished, many fear that a domestic blast probe will also fail to hold anyone to account. Recently, Lebanon's influential parliament speaker Nabih Berri said the legislature is ready to lift the immunity of its members in order to allow for questioning over the blast.
Despite obstacles, Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the investigation, has completed more than 75 percent of the case. The investigator has so far identified who is responsible for shipping the ammonium nitrate to Beirut and who decided on chemicals to be stored at the port. Judge Bitar has identified key protagonists like the owner of the company that shipped the ammonium nitrate and a bank in Mozambique that funded the shipment. But the investigation has not concluded yet.