Lebanon says Beirut port blast indictment to be issued ‘within months’

Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said Tuesday that an indictment in the 2020 Beirut port blast will be issued within the next few months, adding that the investigation has entered its “final stages,” Anadolu reports.

“Judicial investigations are no longer facing obstruction under the mandate of the current government,” Morcos told Anadolu on the sidelines of a sit-in organized by families of the victims on the sixth anniversary of the explosion.

He did not provide further details on the course of the investigation or the obstacles it had faced.

The sit-in was held near the Beirut port at a memorial for firefighters killed in the blast, with dozens of victims’ relatives renewing their demand for the truth to be revealed and those responsible to be held accountable.

READ: Israeli violations in Lebanon may amount to ‘war crimes’: UN rights chief

On Aug. 4, 2020, a massive explosion at the Port of Beirut killed more than 220 people and injured around 7,000 others, while causing widespread destruction across the Lebanese capital.

​​​​​​​According to official estimates, the blast originated in Warehouse 12, where about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate confiscated from a cargo ship had been stored since 2014.

The investigation into the disaster has faced years of political and judicial obstacles, and no indictment has yet been issued.

“We are exerting pressure as families of the victims and as all Lebanese to reach the truth, to know where this file stands, how and when it will be completed, and we are confident that the judiciary will bring this file to its conclusion,” said Social Affairs Minister Hanin al-Sayyed, who lost her mother in the explosion.

​​​​​​​“The explosion file is among the government’s priorities,” she added.

READ: Explosive hazards still pose risks in southern Lebanon despite reduced violence: UNIFIL