Hopes for an indictment in the 2020 Beirut port explosion have once again been delayed after Lebanon’s Indictment Chamber issued a ruling in an “abuse of authority” lawsuit targeting lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar, raising new questions about the future of the case.

The decision referred the lawsuit to Investigating Judge Habib Rizkallah, tasking him with examining whether Bitar acted unlawfully when he resumed his work despite multiple legal challenges filed against him. The chamber also asked Public Prosecutor Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar to provide Rizkallah with the documents and legal brief Bitar used to justify his decision.

Sources told Al-Modon that Bitar has already submitted the requested papers to Al-Hajjar, who is expected to pass them on to Rizkallah in the coming days.

Legal experts say Rizkallah now faces two options. He could dismiss the case, sparing Bitar from prosecution and allowing him to continue the probe. Alternatively, he could pursue the investigation, summon Bitar for questioning, and issue an indictment. Such a step could strip Bitar of the port case altogether and lead to his trial, with the file reassigned to another judge.

The lawsuit was originally filed by former Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, accusing Bitar of exceeding his authority. The case has become the main obstacle preventing the judge from issuing a long-awaited indictment that was expected in the coming months.

Five years after the port blast killed more than 220 people and devastated large parts of Beirut, the probe has been repeatedly derailed by legal challenges, political interference, and judicial disputes. Families of the victims have long accused Lebanon’s political class of obstructing justice to shield senior officials from accountability.