Deputy Head of the Kataeb party Georges Jreij pointed out on Thursday that political authority was determined to commit more follies, considering that what Lebanon was witnessing in the file of the Beirut explosion constituted a serious legal violation.

“We are facing severe moral, ethical, and legal violations,” Jreij said during a press conference held at the Kataeb headquarters in Saifi during which he discussed the alternative judge appointment in the case of the Beirut port explosion.

He pointed out that the minister of justice was a minister in a resigned caretaker government, and he was thus a resigned minister who did not have the right to make such decision.

“The minister is only charged with conducting business and may not establish new legal centers,” Jreij added.

He believed that expediting investigations and making decisions regarding detainee release requests was a right demand that was intended to be invalid.

“We agree with the minister and support him in his efforts against injustice to help innocent people who had been in custody for an extended period of time. Yet, the branching carried out in the judiciary systems is deemed as nothing but an attempt to hit the judiciary from within after the politicians’ interference by opposing the lead judicial investigator into the Beirut blast Tarek Bitar has failed to achieve their goals,” he stated.

After stopping the judicial investigator from continuing his probe, Jreij held the Minister of Justice and the Higher Judicial Council accountable for fostering an environment of impunity.

“Those sparked an egregious argument between two judges in which the alternative judge suspended the original judge's work. The defendants, their partners, and those in custody for investigation stand to benefit in this case, yet once again the victims’ families pay the price,” he explained.

Additionally, Jreij urged all of civil society and the international community to exert control over the Lebanese State, which is represented by the justice minister and some members of the judiciary, and to view the Beirut bombing as a crime against humanity and the Lebanese judiciary as being incapable of carrying out its duties.

 “This makes it necessary for the international jurisdiction to convene in order to safeguard victims' natural rights in determining responsibilities and imposing penalties on all those found responsible for the crime of blowing up the port,” he stated.