Six Years After Beirut Port Explosion, Prosecutor Seeks Charges Against Michel Aoun
Lebanon’s Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation has requested that former President Michel Aoun be charged in connection with the Beirut port explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020, a judicial source told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday.
The source, who requested anonymity, said the prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation had asked the judicial investigator handling the case, Judge Tarek Bitar, to “directly charge former President Michel Aoun,” on the grounds that he had been informed in advance about the presence of ammonium nitrate at the port and the danger it posed, but had failed to take the necessary measures or raise the matter before the Higher Defense Council.
More Than 220 Killed and Thousands Injured
The massive explosion that struck Beirut’s port killed more than 220 people and injured more than 6,000 others.
Authorities attributed the blast to the storage of huge quantities of ammonium nitrate at the port without adequate safety measures, following a fire whose cause was not determined.
It later emerged that officials at several levels were aware of the risks associated with storing the substance but failed to take the necessary measures to prevent the disaster.
More Than 70 Officials Among Those Charged
Judicial investigator Judge Tarek Bitar concluded his investigation into the case in late March, according to a judicial source who told Agence France-Presse at the time that charges had been brought against around 70 people, including politicians, security and military commanders, and government employees.
Bitar referred the case file to the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, while the judicial source said the prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation submitted his legal assessment of the case to the judicial investigator on Tuesday.
The assessment identified the responsibilities of more than 70 people, including politicians, security and military commanders, and government employees who had previously been charged by Bitar.
Bitar Has the Final Say
The indictment remains within the authority of judicial investigator Judge Tarek Bitar, who is expected to issue it in the coming weeks.
There are currently no detainees in Lebanon in connection with the case.
Since 2023, the investigation into the Beirut port explosion has become entangled in complex political and judicial developments after Hezbollah led a campaign calling for Bitar to step down, before he was subsequently confronted with dozens of lawsuits seeking to remove him from the case.
Bitar was able to resume his work in early 2025 following the election of Joseph Aoun as president of Lebanon, the formation of a government headed by Nawaf Salam, and judicial appointments.
The resumption of the investigation came amid a shift in the country’s political balance of power, with Hezbollah’s domestic influence declining following its war with Israel.
Since then, several legal obstacles that had hindered Bitar’s work have been removed, including a travel ban that had been imposed on him.
Victims’ Families Remain Determined to Secure Accountability
Since the explosion occurred, the victims’ families have continued to demand justice and accountability for those responsible, as well as an end to political interference in the work of the judiciary.
The families are calling for a full disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the explosion and for responsibility to be determined, in a country where, according to sources, a culture of impunity has persisted for decades.
