Shiite Duo Stands Ground on Bitar, Parliament Distances Itself as Khoury Works on Exit

There are “no positivities” that indicate that the Cabinet will convene soon and the political rift has become deeper regarding the file of the Beirut port blast probe, al-Joumhouria newspaper quoted “credible sources” as saying.

“The Shiite duo is still maintaining its inflexible stance regarding investigative judge Tarek Bitar and its decision is final as to the Shiite ministers’ boycott of Cabinet sessions until a final decision is taken on Judge Bitar’s fate,” the sources said, in remarks published Tuesday.

The sources noted that Hizbullah and the Amal Movement are not calling for Bitar’s removal but rather for restricting his jurisdiction to the questioning of employees and referring the accused ex-PM and former ministers to the Higher Council for Trial of Presidents and Ministers.

Parliament has meanwhile distanced itself from any solution, because it considers that “the better solution for this crisis is in the hands of the relevant authorities, specifically the Justice Minister (Henri Khoury) and the judicial authority,” the sources added.

“The bet remains on the exit that the Justice Minister is working on, which is based on forming a judicial accusatory body comprised of three judges so that it becomes the authority that receives appeals against the investigative judge’s decisions, a move that would allow defendants to submit their defenses to several judicial authorities,” the sources said.