Beirut court fines former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaiter over $111,000 for filing more than 10 recusal motions to obstruct the Beirut port blast investigation
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On 16 January 2025, the Beirut First Instance Court found former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Zaiter guilty of 'abuse of right' and ordered them to pay 10 billion Lebanese pounds (about $111,000) in reparations, following a lawsuit brought by Judge Dania Dahdah. The court found the two ex-ministers, both implicated in the 2020 port explosion probe, filed more than ten successive motions to disqualify lead investigating judge Tarek Bitar and the judges assigned to rule on those motions, with the intent of paralyzing the investigation. Bitar's investigation, long stalled by such legal challenges, was finally concluded in March 2026 with 70 people charged.
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- L'Orient Today
Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil fined LL10 billion for obstructing Beirut blast case, after filing more than 10 recusal claims against Judge Bitar
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