Aftermath of Beirut explosion
Aftermath of Beirut explosionAZIZ TAHER/ REUTERS

Lebanon's appeals court on Monday rejected lawsuits filed against the lead investigator of the Beirut port explosion in a decision that allows him to resume his work, The Associated Press reported, citing Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The lawsuits were part of a growing campaign by Lebanon’s political class against the investigation into the devastating port explosion which took place on August 4, 2020. The blast heavily destroyed parts of Beirut, killed over 200 people and wounded over 6,000.

Monday’s ruling came a week after three former Cabinet ministers, who are also defendants in the investigation, accused the judge of bias and filed lawsuits demanding he be dismissed.

The challenge automatically suspended the probe until the decision was reached. The appeals court rejected the request to remove Judge Tarek Bitar, saying doing so is not its jurisdiction.

Bitar took over the job in February after judge Fadi Sawwan was also removed from his post following similar legal challenges by senior officials.

In July, Bitar confirmed charges filed by his predecessor against former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers. Diab was summoned for questioning on accusations of intentional killings and negligence.

Bitar later issued a subpoena for Diab, after he failed show up for questioning.

Diab and his entire cabinet resigned soon after the August explosion. Following the resignation of Diab’s cabinet, Mustapha Adib was designated as Prime Minister, but he himself bowed out just weeks after being nominated. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri was then tasked with forming a new government, his fourth in the past decade, before he too bowed out.

A report published following the incident linked Hezbollah to the explosion at the port, saying the group received from Iran many supplies of ammonium nitrate.

The report cast doubt over the denial by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah that his group had any connection to the blast in Beirut.