The long-stalled investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion has returned to the forefront of judicial attention following new developments, including the receipt of critical evidence from Germany, judicial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Judge Tarek Bitar, the judicial investigator leading the case, held an extended meeting with Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Judge Jamal al-Hajjar to coordinate the next steps. The discussion focused on formally concluding the investigation and referring the file to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for its legal opinion; a prerequisite before an indictment can be issued.

According to sources familiar with the case, Bitar recently received a formal response from German authorities to an international request for judicial assistance. The response, transmitted through Lebanon’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, included detailed information on bank accounts and financial transfers linked to individuals suspected of financing the shipment of ammonium nitrate that detonated at Beirut port on August 4, 2020.

The sources said the German documents provided “precise information” that clarified crucial aspects of the case and resolved key points Bitar needed to strengthen the evidence already in his possession.

Responses to other requests for assistance sent to Arab and European countries have not yet arrived. Judicial sources said Bitar may proceed without them if no reply is received within three weeks, though he would prefer at least one additional response from a European state due to its importance to the investigation.

The investigator has now reportedly completed “99 percent” of the information-gathering process and possesses nearly all the documentation required to determine how the ammonium nitrate was imported, how the shipment was financed, which parties were responsible for transporting it to Lebanon, how it was stored and secured at the port, and what caused the catastrophic explosion.

“Bitar now has all the evidence necessary to determine responsibilities and issue formal charges,” one judicial source said.

The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, killed more than 220 people, injured thousands, and devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital. Families of the victims have repeatedly accused authorities of obstructing the investigation.

Despite mounting public pressure, the judicial investigator faces legal and procedural hurdles before issuing an indictment. Two key factors are delaying the final step. The first is a pending decision by the Indictment Chamber, appointed by the head of the Higher Judicial Council, on an appeal filed by MPs Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter, both charged in the case. The appeal challenges a ruling by Judge Habib Rizkallah, who rejected a complaint filed by former Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat accusing Bitar of unlawfully “usurping authority.”

Rizkallah ruled that Oueidat had no legal standing to file such a complaint because he had recused himself from the case due to family ties with Zeaiter. The second factor relates to a pending response to another European request for assistance, the details of which have not been disclosed.

Judicial sources said Bitar is working intensively to wrap up the investigation within weeks, or by next month at the latest. He is reportedly keen to complete the process before April 25, when Public Prosecutor Jamal al-Hajjar is set to retire, so that Hajjar can personally review the case and issue his legal opinion on its merits.

“There is significant reliance on Hajjar’s role, given the strong cooperation that has developed between him and Bitar,” a source said, noting that the prosecutor has vowed to conclude his judicial career by helping uncover the truth in the port explosion case.

Before formally closing the investigation, Bitar is expected to summon all defendants he has previously questioned but against whom no decisions have yet been taken. These include judges, senior security and military officials, and political figures.

“All of them will have to appear on the dates set by the investigator to be formally notified of the decisions concerning them,” the sources said.

Depending on circumstances, these decisions could range from release without conditions, release under residency restrictions, or the issuance of arrest warrants in absentia against those who refuse to appear.

The sources cautioned that no one can predict Bitar’s exact course of action in the coming weeks, but emphasized that this procedural stage must be completed before the file can be formally referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Regarding 17 suspects released by former prosecutor Oueidat in a move widely viewed as illegal, sources said that arrest warrants against them technically remain in force. However, it is unlikely Bitar will seek to re-arrest them, given the lengthy periods they have already spent in pretrial detention.