Lebanese judiciary issues decision to seize properties of two Lebanese MPs affiliated with Amal Movement following lawsuit and accusations they obstructed investigation into Beirut port explosion

BEIRUT — In a potential breakthrough in the investigation into the circumstances of the Beirut port explosion, which had been halted following the interventions of Lebanese political parties and personalities, the Lebanese judiciary issued a decision to seize the properties of MPs Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zuaiter of the Amal Movement led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

According to a judicial source, Judge Najah Itani issued a decision to seize the properties of the two aforementioned representatives, valued at 100 billion Lebanese Pounds, based on a lawsuit filed by the Beirut Bar Association on behalf of the families of the victims of the explosion.

The lawsuit came about due to the two representatives’ abuse of the rights of defense and prosecution, filing lawsuits that obstruct the progress of the investigation. The Bar Association demanded compensation for this abuse.

It is noteworthy that the two representatives had filed several lawsuits to stop the judicial investigator, Judge Tariq Bitar, from investigating the cause of the explosion.