Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch said on Sunday the government should put an end to any meddling in the judiciary after the probe into last year's devastating Beirut port blast was halted by the latest of a series of complaints against the lead investigator.
The investigation was frozen on Monday when former Interior Minister Nohad al-Mashnouk, wanted for questioning as a suspect, filed a case questioning Judge Tarek Bitar's impartiality.
The move followed a smear campaign by Lebanon's political class against Bitar and a warning by senior Hezbollah official Wafik Safa that he would be removed.
Patriarch Beshara al-Rai said in his Sunday sermon that political pressure on Bitar weakened the authority of the judiciary and could put international aid for Lebanon at risk.
"We cannot insist on the investigation in the port crime and not support the investigating judge and the judiciary," al-Rai said.
"It's true that the government should not interfere in the judiciary but it is it's duty to intervene to stop any meddling in the affairs of the judiciary," he added.
The Aug. 4 2020 Beirut port blast, caused by a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely for years, killed over 200 people but more than a year on no one has been held accountable.
