On Tuesday, Lebanon’s Public Prosecution asked the investigating judge in the Beirut port blast case to charge former President Michel Aoun, in its submission in a case nearing the indictment stage more than six years after the explosion.
Prosecution seeks charges against Michel Aoun
A judicial source said the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation requested that Aoun, 92, be charged directly on the grounds that he knew ammonium nitrate was at the port and understood its danger, but failed to take the necessary steps or refer the matter to the Higher Defense Council.
The prosecution’s request does not establish Aoun’s responsibility or mean a verdict has been issued against him. Investigating Judge Tarek Bitar will decide which people and charges to include in the indictment, based on the facts and evidence established by the investigation. Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Judge Mohammad Saab submitted his findings to Bitar, identifying the responsibilities of more than 70 people, including politicians, security and military commanders, and officials who had previously been charged.
Indictment nears after investigation referred
The indictment is expected to be issued in the coming weeks, before the case moves to trial. Bitar completed his investigation on March 30 and referred the case file to the Public Prosecution at the Court of Cassation for its submission, a procedural step preceding the indictment.
The investigation faced lawsuits, appeals and judicial disputes over the past years, leading to lengthy suspensions. The blast occurred on August 4, 2020, after a fire broke out in a port warehouse containing large quantities of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for years in unsafe conditions.
In February, a Lebanese indictment chamber confirmed that a previous case against Bitar on charges of “usurping authority” had been dropped, removing a judicial obstacle to completing the investigation and reviewing the prosecution’s submission ahead of the indictment.
