MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st December, 2020) Despite the political pressure traditionally exerted on the country's judiciary, growing public discontent with the ruling class will allow the court to make an unbiased ruling, Attorney Firas Kleib, a member of the Prosecution bureau of the Beirut Bar Association told Sputnik.
"The judiciary has achieved several victories on the long path of true independence, and the 4th of August explosion is a very critical stage, yet a golden chance for the judiciary of Lebanon to establish another victory on the path of independence," Kleib said.
The ongoing investigation into the Beirut port blast stirred controversy earlier in December, when the country's acting Prime Minister and three former cabinet ministers were summoned by the court on charges of criminal negligence, prompting calls for the dismissal of judge Fadi Sawan amid speculation that the accusations were politically motivated.
"There is a considerable source of pressure emanating from the distressed public opinion which is showing a thirst to end impunity once and for all, and this should be taken as a motivation and moral support for the judiciary in aiming furthest in establishing justice," Kleib said.
The Mediterranean nation's political elite has been under pressure since the onset of the October 2019 revolution, with discontent for the political establishment peaking in the aftermath of the August 4 explosion that killed over 200 and injured over 6,000, leaving one-third of the country's capital in ruins in its wake.
"The Lebanese Judiciary has been repeatedly revolting in order to reclaim its real independence... it is clear that the Bar Association is pushing hard in supporting the Magistrates to establish their independence despite any kind of pressure or threat," Kleib said.
While setting off a volley of criticism from politicians and religious figures alike, the charges invoked against the country's caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers have been celebrated as a milestone towards the establishment of an independent judiciary, a branch of government traditionally dominated by the country's sectarian establishment.
