The interrogation session of Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar was abruptly adjourned Tuesday after just 13 minutes and has been rescheduled for Thursday, pending notification of the Court of Cassation Public Prosecutor, which had not been formally informed of today’s hearing.

Bitar appeared before Judge Habib Rizkallah, head of the Ninth Chamber of the Court of Cassation, alongside the lawyers of MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Customs Director General Badri Daher. Both had previously joined the initial complaint filed by the former Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Ghassan Oueidat, accusing Bitar of “usurping authority” and “acting beyond his powers as a judicial investigator.”

The hearing was expected to address the travel ban imposed on Bitar, which has prevented him from questioning Igor Grechushkin, owner of the Rhosus ship that transported the ammonium nitrate responsible for the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Grechushkin remains detained in Bulgaria under an Interpol red notice, and Lebanon has requested his extradition, though Sofia has yet to respond.

Judge Rizkallah’s decision is considered pivotal for both Bitar’s ability to continue his investigation and the broader judicial process surrounding the port blast case. Should the charges against Bitar be upheld, the travel restrictions will remain, further delaying crucial interrogations. Conversely, a ruling in Bitar’s favor would lift the ban and allow him to move forward with questioning key witnesses.