The Beirut Port blast case has returned to the spotlight as former Prosecutor General Ghassan Oueidat filed a lawsuit against the lead investigative judge, Tarek Bitar, highlighting ongoing judicial disputes that have shadowed the high-profile investigation.

According to information obtained by Al-Modon, Oueidat lodged the suit before the General Assembly of the Court of Cassation following a July 11, 2025, decision in which Bitar summoned him for questioning as a defendant on charges of murder, bodily harm, destruction, arson, breach of duty, as well as violations of laws and regulations. 

The conflict dates back to 2023, when Bitar resumed work on the 2020 port explosion investigation with the aim of concluding it and issuing an indictment. Tensions escalated after Bitar named Oueidat, then Prosecutor General, as a defendant in the case. Oueidat in turn filed charges against Bitar, accusing him of “usurpation of power,” accusing him of unlawfully resuming his duties despite multiple legal challenges against him.

Judge Habib Rizkallah was subsequently assigned to the matter and requested amendments to the filing, which Oueidat then appealed. In April, a three-judge panel was formed to rule on the appeal, but no decision has been issued to date.

According to Al-Modon, Oueidat’s lawsuit alleges that Bitar committed “serious errors” by disregarding Article 354 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. That article stipulates that if the Prosecutor General commits a misdemeanor or felony, whether in office or otherwise, he must be tried before a special five-judge panel appointed by decree of the Council of Ministers upon the recommendation of the justice minister, with all members holding a minimum seventeenth-grade judicial rank.

This latest filing against Bitar marks one of five cases currently before the Court of Cassation’s General Assembly, alongside dozens of motions for recusal and claims of legitimate suspicion.

Indictment Expected by Year-End

Judicial sources said the port investigation is in its final stages, with an indictment expected by the end of 2025 or early 2026 at the latest. All pending lawsuits against Bitar, including the “usurpation of power” case, are expected to be resolved once the new judicial year begins and judges assume their posts on September 16.

Sources added that efforts are ongoing to remove obstacles stalling the port blast investigation, warning that prolonged delays could undermine the eventual indictment before the Judicial Council. They stressed that all legal challenges against Bitar, accumulated over several years, will be addressed in the coming months.