The Judicial System is Lebanon’s Newest Casualty

Almost three years after the devastating blast that destroyed the port of Beirut and shocked the world, the Lebanese judiciary system is the latest to join the ranks of inept institutions. Top judges in Lebanon have gotten into a heated argument, with accusations being levelled at each other amid the release of all suspects in the investigation. Tarek al-Bitar, the judge in charge of investigating the explosion, has unexpectedly returned to his duties, prompting the new developments. The investigation into the blast that killed 202 and injured hundreds was put on hold for over a year due to political disagreements among main political factions. Al-Bitar's first act was to charge Lebanon's top prosecutor, Tarek Ouaidat, two senior intelligence chiefs, and a number of other officials, without indicating the nature of the charges levelled. Ouaidat responded swiftly, ordering the release of all suspects held since August 2020, which included a variety of senior port employees, preventing them from travelling and putting them at the disposal of the Judicial Council. The French Press Agency also reported that Ouaidat had filed a lawsuit against al-Bitar, charged him and banned him from travel ‘’for rebelling against the judiciary and usurping power,” implying that al-Bitar should not have resumed the investigation this week. Following Ouaidat's decision, al-Bitar refused to resign from the case because he believed Oweidat's decision to release those detained in connection with the case to be a "coup against the law" and to have little legal significance. 

This crisis is added to the series of crises facing Lebanon since the economic collapse that began in 2019, and the seat of the president of the republic has also been vacant since former President Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022. The major political factions failed to elect a successor, and with the dollar lately reaching record highs against the Lebanese Lira, the judicial battle is the latest chapter in the country's total collapse.