After rumors of his possible resignation within 24 hours, the office of Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicates that the latter is continuing his efforts to reactivate his government. He is also said to have reiterated before the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri his positions concerning the independence of the judiciary. Najib Mikati would thus have rejected any political interference to dismiss Judge Tarek Bitar from the investigation carried out by him in the context of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, a case in which the magistrate indicted several close to the president of the chamber of deputies.
Nabih Berri allegedly accused the Prime Minister of supporting investigating magistrate Tarek Bitar who is leading the investigation into the explosion of 2,730 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was inside the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020.
Until now the Prime Minister has hesitated to convene a new session of the government pending a political settlement to threats from the Amal movement and Hezbollah to resign.
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These last days have been marked by the call of the President of the Republic for the organization of a Council of Ministers, including in the event of a boycott of the ministers of the Amal movement and of Hezbollah.
The prime minister is said to have indicated that he wishes to call for a council of ministers, to which the president of the chamber retorted that the resignation letters of ministers Amal and Hezbollah are ready, threatening to dissolve the Mikati III cabinet, indicate close sources. of Ein Tineh.
For its part, the national news agency indicated that the Prime Minister discussed with the president of the chamber the current situation without making any statement at the end of the meeting. Najib Mikati came out of the meeting in a gust of wind.
As a reminder, several relatives of the president of the chamber including the former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil and the former public works minister Ghazi Zoaiter have been indicted for manslaughter and criminal negligence. Nabih Berri considers that this decision would target him personally.
Since November, after the publication of an arrest warrant against Ali Hassan Khalil, the latter not having appeared before the judge, the ministers of the Marada movement, Hezbollah and the Amal movement announced their boycott of government meetings, paralyzing the Council of Ministers as Prime Minister Najib Mikati wanted to obtain the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the IMF in the framework of international aid to Lebanon in the face of the crisis economic.
Like the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister would have underlined the necessary independence of the Lebanese judiciary thus refusing the dismissal of Judge Tarek Bitar, whose investigation is also closely watched by the international community as proof of the independence of the judicial system in the face of interference from local political parties and therefore which could condition aid to the Land of the Cedars.
