Shafaq News- Beirut

Lebanon's judicial investigator into the 2020 Beirut port explosion, Tareq Bitar, concluded his investigation on Monday, referring the complete case file to the Court of Cassation's public prosecutor, Jamal al-Hajjar.

A judicial source cited by Agence France-Presse revealed that the investigation, open for nearly six years, includes indictments against approximately 70 individuals, among them politicians and senior security officials. Bitar is expected to rule on approximately 20 defendants who appeared before him beginning in early 2025 and against whom no formal measures were taken at the time. He must decide whether to order their detention, release them unconditionally, or impose travel restrictions. The remaining 50 defendants have already been subject to prior rulings —including detention orders and travel bans— issued by Bitar earlier in the investigation. Among them are politicians and judges who refused to appear before the court for questioning, according to the judicial source.

The investigation stalled significantly from 2023 onward due to political pressure, including a campaign led by Hezbollah demanding Bitar's removal, alongside dozens of legal motions filed to strip him of jurisdiction over the case.

Bitar resumed his work in early 2025, benefiting from a shift in Lebanon's internal political balance that helped clear several legal obstacles, including the lifting of a travel ban previously imposed on him. No suspects are currently in detention in Lebanon in connection with the case.

The Beirut port explosion occurred on August 4, 2020, when large quantities of ammonium nitrate stored without adequate safety measures detonated at the port, killing more than 220 people in one of the deadliest disasters in Lebanon's history.

Al-Hajjar will now review the complete file and submit his formal recommendations to Bitar, who will issue the indictment ruling and assign criminal responsibility among the accused, according to the judicial source.