Bitar sets June 13 session for interrogating Zoaiter

Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar on Tuesday scheduled a June 13 interrogation session for former public works minister Ghazi Zoaiter, an Amal Movement member who is one of the accused in the case, the state-run National News Agency said.

Bitar “sent the summoning notice through the public prosecution,” NNA added.

Al-Jadeed television said Zoaiter is yet to decide whether to attend the interrogation or not.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported in min-May that Bitar was on the verge of issuing his indictment in the case, after he “reached a complete conclusion about the issue of the ammonium nitrate shipment -- where it came from, how it entered the port and how it exploded.”

“He will complete his interrogations before issuing the indictment, which will likely be released on the disaster’s fifth anniversary on August 4,” the daily added.

Zoaiter is among several officials charged in connection with the Aug. 4, 2020 blast that killed over 220 people, injured more than 6,000 and and devastated large swaths of the capital.

The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, caused billions of dollars in damage and sent shockwaves through the nation's capital.

Following years of political obstruction, Bitar resumed the stalled investigation in mid-January, questioning port and customs employees, retired military officials, the former head of port security, the former army intelligence director, and 12 witnesses.

The progress in the probe coincides with significant political changes in Lebanon, including the election of Joseph Aoun as president and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister. Both are perceived as outside the traditional political establishment, which includes many figures charged in the port explosion case.

Several officials implicated in the investigation have accused Bitar of bias, refused to testify, and filed legal complaints against him.