A delegation of MPs from the Strong Republic bloc submitted a letter on Monday morning to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati requesting the removal of obstacles hindering the judicial investigator’s work and the completion of the Beirut port blast investigation.
After the meeting, MP Ghassan Hasbani spoke on behalf of the delegation, noting that “more than four years have passed since the Beirut port explosion, and the truth is still absent, while the investigation faces multiple obstacles and impediments.”
Hasbani continued, “From the beginning, we have been calling for the formation of an international fact-finding committee, and we also demand that the Lebanese judiciary complete the investigations, and the relevant Lebanese authorities remove the administrative and procedural obstacles facing the judiciary to complete its work and achieve justice. However, the progress of the investigations is slow and almost at a standstill.”
Hasbani pointed out that “what hinders the judicial investigator today are the decisions previously issued by the former Prosecutor General Judge Ghassan Oweidat to the judicial police, instructing them not to enforce any memo issued by the judicial investigator, of any kind and to any party.”
Hasbani added, “We are counting on a courageous stance from the current (interim) Prosecutor General Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar to retract these circulars, which has not happened so far.”
Hasbani elaborated on the rationale behind the letter, citing the United Nations Human Rights Council’s call for unhindered investigations into the Beirut port explosion, stressing the national duty to ensure that justice prevails. He highlighted constitutional obligations for government intervention in matters crucial to the nation’s fate. Urging Prime Minister Mikati to uphold his responsibilities, Hasbani requested immediate action alongside the Minister of Justice to convene the Supreme Judicial Court. Emphasizing the need to address circulars impeding the investigation, Hasbani underlined the Council’s role in safeguarding judicial integrity. The delegation pushed for swift progress in resolving the crime.
