Detention notices issued to men attached to 2,750 tonnes of explosives sent to the port of Beirut.
Beirut, Lebanon – Interpol has issued three international arrest notices for the owner and captain of a ship that brought 2,750 tonnes of explosives into the port of Beirut seven years before it exploded in the deadly explosion in August 2020.
A legal source told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that Public Prosecutor Ghassan Khoury received a letter informing him that the so-called “red alerts” had been issued, based on a request from Lebanese judges.
Those named are Igor Grechushkin, a Russian businessman and apparent owner of the MV Rhosus who introduced the ammonium nitrate to Beirut in late 2013, as well as the ship’s captain at the time, Borys Prokoshew, who there is also Russian.
A call has also been made for national Portuguese Jorge Moreira, according to a report that bought the explosives from the Georgian factory Rustavi Azot.
Moreira in 2014 visited the port warehouse where the material was stored, the Lebanese state National Press Agency said.
Red alerts are non-binding applications circulated to law enforcement agencies around the world to find and arrest people, often awaiting extension. They do not equate to international arrest warrants.
After the explosive cargo entered the port of Beirut in 2013, Lebanese political, security and legal officials failed to evacuate a hangar at the port for six years despite several warnings.
Over time, the hangar was used to store other flammable and explosive materials. It collapsed on Aug. 4, releasing a massive explosion that killed 200 people, injured more than 6,000 and destroyed large parts of the city.
Sources close to the investigation told Al Jazeera investigators that they believe Grechushkin and Prokoshew are in Russia, although the location of Moreira is unknown.
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The investigation into Lebanon’s worst tragedy crash, by Judge Fadi Sawan, has been suspended for nearly four weeks after two suspected suspects filed a plea to have it dismissed. career.
Sawan in December had accused the two former ministers and current members of Parliament, Ali Hasan Khalil and Ghazi Zaeiter, of criminal negligence over the explosion. He jumped the same charges against former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former Public Works Minister Youssef Fenians.
Some 30 others have previously been arrested in connection with the explosion.
Top Lebanese politicians quickly agreed in their criticism of Sawan, arguing that he did not have the authority to prosecute top officials on the grounds of political protectionism, even as legal agencies have said – including a prestigious Association Beirut Bar – that he was doing completely within his powers.
Top officials have not been successfully prosecuted for crimes in the history of post-Lebanon civil war despite rampant corruption, mismanagement and recurring political violence. This has fostered a culture of persuasion.
Sawan suspended his investigation on Dec. 17 to allow a court to rule on Zaeiter and Khalil’s dismissal, but a judge said Monday he should resume the investigation.
Sawan will begin questioning on Jan. 25 when the hard shutdown of COVID-19 in Lebanon comes to an end, a source close to the judge told Al Jazeera, saying he would not be able to summon defenders or send subpoenas. -out before that time.