Court Rejects Suits over Beirut Blast by Former PM, Ministers

Court Rejects Suits over Beirut Blast by Former PM, Ministers

FILE - A monument that represents justice stands in front of towering grain silos that were gutted in the massive August 2020 explosion at the port that killed more than 216 people and wounded over 6,000, in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

A top Lebanese court Thursday rejected lawsuits filed by a former prime minister and three ex-ministers seeking to sue the state over the conduct of the judge probing the deadly August 2020 Beirut blast, a senior judicial source told Reuters.

The suits, filed over the past month, had paused Judge Tarek Bitar's investigation but he still remains unable to proceed due to a separate judicial ruling that is still pending, lawyer Nizar Saghieh of watchdog group Legal Agenda told Reuters.

The general assembly of Lebanon's Court of Cassation rejected the suits filed by former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former ministers Nohad Machnouk, Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hasan Khalil that alleged "grave mistakes," in the probe.

All have been charged in connection with the blast but have denied any wrongdoing and have refused to be interrogated by Bitar, arguing he does not have the authority to prosecute them.

At the heart of the legal quagmire is criticism from senior