Current:Home > NewsLebanon’s top court suspends arrest warrant for former cabinet minister in Beirut port blast case-LoTradeCoin
Lebanon’s top court suspends arrest warrant for former cabinet minister in Beirut port blast case
View Date:2024-12-24 07:49:18
BEIRUT (AP) — A judge at Lebanon’s highest court suspended an arrest warrant against a former cabinet minister in the case of the massive 2020 Beirut port blast, officials said Tuesday.
Judge Sabbouh Suleiman of the Court of Cassation lifted the warrant against former public works minister, Youssef Fenianos, judicial officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
In 2021, Judge Tarek Bitar, who has led the investigation into the explosion, issued a warrant against Fenianos, who in turn asked for Bitar’s removal over “legitimate suspicion” of how he handled his case. The judge accused Fenianos and three other former senior government officials of intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the explosion.
Some politicians and security officials have also been asking for Bitar’s removal as anger and criticism by families of the victims and rights groups have grown as the investigation has been stalled for over a year.
Despite arrest warrants issued for cabinet ministers and heads of security agencies, no one has so far been detained amid political interference in the work of the judiciary.
The United States Treasury in September 2020 slapped sanctions on Fenianos and former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, accusing them of corruption and providing “material support” to the militant Hezbollah group. Bitar had also charged and pursued Khalil in the port blast probe with homicide and criminal negligence.
The Aug. 2020 blast — one of the world’s largest non-nuclear blasts ever recorded — killed at least 218 people and more than 6,000 wounded, according to an Associated Press tally. It also devastated large swaths of Beirut and caused billions of dollars in damages.
More than three years later, there are still no answers to what triggered the explosion, and no one has been held accountable. Rights groups and local media revealed that most state officials knew of the presence of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers that had been improperly stored there for years, in the port.
veryGood! (51643)
Related
- Horoscopes Today, November 13, 2024
- Heather Rae El Moussa Shares How She's Keeping Son Tristan Close to Her Heart
- Alan Hostetter, ex-police chief who brought hatchet to Capitol on Jan. 6, sentenced to 11 years in prison
- The biggest takeaways and full winners from The Game Awards
- When does Spirit Christmas open? What to know about Spirit Halloween’s new holiday venture
- Miami-Dade police officer charged with 3 felonies, third arrest from force in 6 weeks
- Thousands of tons of dead sardines wash ashore in northern Japan
- German rail workers begin 24-hour strike as pay talks stall
- Social media star squirrel euthanized after being taken from home tests negative for rabies
- Ex-Ohio vice detective pleads guilty to charge he kidnapped sex workers
Ranking
- Why Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams May Be Rejoining the George R.R. Martin Universe
- Deion Sanders lands nation's top offensive line recruit
- Shots fired outside Jewish temple in upstate New York as Hanukkah begins, shooter’s motive unknown
- CosMc's: McDonald's reveals locations for chain's new spinoff restaurant and menu
- These Michael Kors’ Designer Handbags Are All Under $150 With an Extra 22% off for Singles’ Day
- Objection! One word frequently echoes through the courtroom at Trump's civil fraud trial
- Secret Santa gift-giving this year? We have a list of worst gifts you should never buy
- LeBron James scores 30 points, Lakers rout Pelicans 133-89 to reach tournament final
Recommendation
-
Detroit-area police win appeal over liability in death of woman in custody
-
Disney plans more residential communities, and these won't be in Florida
-
North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer's son in police chase that ends in deputy's death
-
Drought vs deluge: Florida’s unusual rainfall totals either too little or too much on each coast
-
How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
-
Emma Stone comes alive in the imaginative 'Poor Things'
-
AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa
-
Saudi Royal Air Force F-15SA fighter jet crashes, killing 2 crew members aboard