Lebanon's top public prosecutor has charged the judge investigating the Beirut port blast and ordered the release of those detained in connection with the explosion, derailing an attempt to resume the probe into the devastating event.
A parliamentarian from powerful armed group Hezbollah on Wednesday said Mr Oweidat's decisions were "a step in the right direction".
Mr Oweidat had earlier recused himself from any involvement in the blast probe as Judge Bitar had issued an arrest warrant for his brother-in-law, former public works minister Ghazi Zeaiter.US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Wednesday reiterated a call for a "swift and transparent" investigation.
"Instead of me appearing before him, he'll be appearing before me," Mr Oweidat told Reuters by text message. To many Lebanese, the disaster symbolised the wider corruption and mismanagement of a ruling elite that had also steered Lebanon into a devastating financial collapse.In turn, they see in Judge Bitar a flicker of hope that justice may one day be served in a country where impunity has long been the norm.
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