The prosecutor at Lebanon’s Court of Cassation asked the judge overseeing the case, Tarek Bitar, to “press charges against (former) president Aoun,” said a court official, requesting anonymity.
The official added that charges were being sought against Aoun because he “had prior knowledge of the presence of ammonium nitrate at the port and its danger, without taking the necessary measures” or referring it to the country’s Higher Defence Council.
The massive explosion on August 4, 2020 killed more than 220 people, injured more than 6,500 and laid waste to swathes of the capital.
Lebanese authorities have said the explosion was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored haphazardly for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
Nobody has been punished for the blast despite public anger and families of the blast victims demanding justice.
In March, a judicial official said that judge Bitar had completed his probe.
He referred the case to the public prosecutor who was to study it, and prosecutor Mohammad Saab submitted his review on Tuesday, the official said.
The review specified the responsibility of more than 70 defendants, including current and former politicians, security and military officials, and civil servants, some of whom were previously charged by Bitar.
The charges remain up to Bitar, who could issue them in the coming weeks.
The case had been bogged down by political and legal wrangling since 2023, after Iran-backed Hezbollah led a campaign demanding Bitar’s removal and dozens of lawsuits also sought to remove him from the case.
However, Bitar resumed his investigations last year as Lebanon’s balance of power shifted.
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam took office following a 2023-2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which weakened the Lebanese armed group.
Since then, several legal impediments to Bitar’s work have also been removed, including the lifting of a travel ban against him. (AFP)
