The lawsuit was reportedly filed by ex-Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, whom the judge wanted to summon for questioning. According to An-Nahar newspaper, the investigation is suspended until the appellate court makes a ruling.
The deadly explosion rocked the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020, leaving at least 218 people dead, 7,000 injured and about 300,000 people homeless. The blast was blamed on thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port. The damage to the city's infrastructure caused by the blast was estimated at $15 billion.
Following the blast, the government of Lebanon declared a two-week state of emergency in the city but this, however, did not prevent people from taking to the streets in protests against the government for their failure to prevent the disaster and address many other pressing economic issues.