Fenianos Decries 'Great Injustice' after Arrest Warrant

Former public works minister Youssef Fenianos on Friday lamented what he called “great injustice” against him after an in-absentia arrest warrant was issued for him in the Beirut port blast case.

In a statement, Fenianos said the lead investigative judge, Tarek Bitar, did not implement “the proper legal measures,” referring to the preliminary objections that were dismissed by the judge.

“The only protection that I enjoy is the protections allowed by the law, and the talk of political and nonpolitical protections is baseless. The implementation of the laws in this case is the only available way to hear my testimony,” the ex-minister added.

He also said that “he has never thought or tried to confront the judiciary through a counter lawsuit” but noted that the investigative judge’s “performance” might “oblige” him to do so.

Bitar issued the arrest warrant on Thursday after Fenianos failed to appear for questioning. It was the first such warrant in the year-old probe that has hit many snags, particularly in implicating senior government officials in what was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. It's unclear how authorities will respond to the warrant.

Fenianos is one of a number of former government officials who have declined to appear before investigating Bitar. The judge has charged Fenianos and three other former senior government officials with intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the blast and over 6,000 injured.

Bitar also summoned the former and current security chiefs. The former prime minister, Hassan Diab, has also refused to appear before the judge.

Hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers, had been improperly stored in the port for years. It finally exploded on Aug. 4, 2020, devastating parts of the capital of Beirut.

The Lebanese investigation has been running into major obstacles, including the removal of Bitar's predecessor on charges of violating the constitution by summoning government officials. More than a year later, there are still no answers to what triggered the explosion, and no one has been held accountable.

Rights groups and local media revealed that most state officials knew of the presence of ammonium nitrate in the port but did nothing to remove it or properly store it. In an extensive report issued last month, Human Rights Watch said senior officials knew of the risks posed by the highly explosive material and did nothing to protect the public against it.

On Wednesday, more than 140 local and international organizations and survivors of the blast repeated a call issued earlier, urging a U.N.-backed probe into the blast. The groups said government officials have refused to appear for questioning and authorities declined to lift immunity to allow for prosecution of members of parliament or senior government and security officials.

Fenianos' legal team argued Thursday that the matter is no longer for Judge Bitar to investigate after parliament opened a review into the charges leveled against lawmakers and government officials.