Judge Completes Questioning of Port Blast Detainees Tomorrow

The judicial investigator, Judge Tarek al-Bitar, will complete the interrogation of the detainees in the Beirut Port bombing case tomorrow, LBCI television station reported on Wednesday.

The station said that Bitar has also summoned former Defense Minister Yaacoub al-Sarraf for questioning.

Sarraf has recently announced possessing “very important” information related to the port bombing, and about the vessel that transported the explosive ammonium nitrates to Beirut’s port.

On Tuesday, Bitar questioned the detained Customs chief, Badri Daher, for seven consecutive hours over the explosion. Also last week, he interrogated four detained port officials.

They were identified as the port’s Director General Hassan Qureitem, Operations Director Samer Raad, cargo department head and hangars officer Mustafa Farshoukh, and guard chief Mohammed al-Aouf.

Bitar has recently replaced Judge Fadi Sawwan, who was removed as lead investigative judge following political pressure and controversy that followed charges that he pressed in the case against caretaker PM Hassan Diab and ex-ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zoaiter and Youssef Fenianos.