Lebanese prosecutor seeks charges against former president Michel Aoun
In Lebanon, the prosecutor at the Court of Cassation has asked investigating judge Tarek Bitar to bring charges against former president Michel Aoun in the case of the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing AFP and an unnamed judicial official.
Grounds for the request
According to the official, charges against Aoun are proposed over his alleged prior knowledge of the presence of ammonium nitrate at the port and the danger associated with it. The AFP source claims that the former president did not take the necessary measures and did not refer the matter to the country’s Higher Defence Council.
The final decision on bringing charges will be made by Judge Bitar, who may do so within the coming weeks. In March, a judicial official told AFP that Bitar had completed the investigation and sent the case file to the prosecutor for review. Prosecutor Mohammad Saab submitted his opinion on Tuesday, September 15.
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Investigation into the explosion
The prosecution’s opinion identifies the responsibility of more than 70 individuals, including current and former politicians, security force representatives, military personnel and civil servants. Bitar had previously brought charges against some of them.
The explosion at the Port of Beirut occurred on August 4, 2020. It killed more than 220 people, injured more than 6,500 others, and devastated significant areas of the Lebanese capital. Lebanese authorities stated that the explosion was caused by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been improperly stored for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
The investigation was delayed by political and legal disputes. Since 2023, Hezbollah, which the source describes as backed by Iran, has demanded Bitar’s removal from the case, while dozens of lawsuits seeking the same were also filed. Last year, the judge resumed the investigation, and some legal obstacles to his work, including a travel ban, were lifted.
