The political and judicial circles in Lebanon drew attention to the statement issued yesterday by the member states of the European Union, in addition to Norway and Switzerland, which called on “all concerned parties in Lebanon to respect the independence of the judiciary, to refrain from all acts of interference, and to allow a fair and transparent judicial investigation into the port explosion.”
While this position revived the hopes of those calling for an international investigation into the explosion, with the continued obstruction of the work of the judicial investigator, Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, it does not seem that it embarrassed the political forces that remained silent, while a judicial source considered that “the completion of the investigation is inevitable, regardless of the name of the judge who is in charge of it.” An official source in the Ministry of Justice confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “there is no bargaining over the completion of the investigation, regardless of the conflict that exists over the eligibility of Judge Tariq Al-Bitar’s return to the investigation or not.”
He explained that the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, “continues his efforts to launch the investigation wheel again to reach its conclusion.” He added, “The file must be completed within the principle of access to justice despite all obstacles, and regardless of whether the al-Bitar is the one who will handle it or someone else, provided that this takes place within the judicial institution and its decisions are respected.”
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