Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar is set to appear Tuesday before Judge Habib Rizkallah, head of the Ninth Chamber of the Court of Cassation and a member of Lebanon’s Higher Judicial Council, in a hearing that could determine the future of the long-stalled probe.

Bitar faces charges of “usurping authority” filed by former Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat; an accusation that has effectively frozen his work and imposed a travel ban. The outcome of today’s session will be decisive not only for his personal legal standing but also for the fate of the probe, especially as Lebanon seeks to interrogate a key foreign suspect in the 2020 explosion.

Igor Grechushkin, the owner of the Rhosus ship that transported the ammonium nitrate responsible for the catastrophic Beirut blast, was arrested on September 5 at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria under an Interpol red notice. He remains in custody after his initial 40-day detention was extended, giving Lebanon an unprecedented opportunity to question one of the most crucial figures in the case.

Lebanon has formally requested his extradition, but Bulgaria has yet to reply. Sofia has instead sought clarification from Beirut regarding Lebanon’s death penalty, being a potential obstacle under European law, which prohibits extradition to countries where capital punishment is still applicable.

In response, Lebanon’s Justice Ministry provided written assurances that, while the death penalty technically exists, it has not been enforced for decades. Beirut is now awaiting Sofia’s final position on that basis.

As a backup plan, the Lebanese judiciary has requested authorization from Bulgarian authorities to allow Judge Bitar to question Grechushkin in Bulgaria if extradition is denied. The goal is to ensure that Bitar can personally conduct the interrogation and obtain key details before the opportunity is lost.

However, Bitar currently cannot leave Lebanon due to the travel ban linked to Oueidat’s charges.

Today’s session before Judge Rizkallah is therefore seen as a turning point. If Rizkallah upholds the accusation that Bitar “usurped authority,” the travel ban will remain in place, preventing the judge from traveling abroad to question Grechushkin.

But if Rizkallah rules that Bitar acted within his powers, the decision would not only clear his name but also automatically lift the travel ban, since it was imposed on the same legal grounds as the charge.

Bitar could also petition Acting Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Judge Jamal Hajjjar, who has the authority to revoke the travel ban at his discretion.