The decision sparked controversy over whether the families of the victims had indeed received financial compensation, amid exclusive reports for ‘Sky News Arabia’ that none of the families of the victims had received a dollar at a time when families viewed the decision positively. , “timid”, especially regarding the confirmation of their right to disclose the circumstances of this crime.
The court has approved compensation of 100,000 pounds sterling (about 125,000 US dollars) to three families of the victims of the port, who have taken legal action against the company “Savaro” registered in Great Britain to compensate for the moral damage suffered by the families after the death of their loved ones, and an amount of 500,000 pounds (approximately 625,000 dollars) for an injured woman still alive with a permanent physical disability, in compensation for the physical and moral damage she suffered, in more than covering her treatment costs since 2020, and the surgeries and medications she will need in the future.
Positive movement
And the families of the victims considered, in statements exclusive to “Sky News Arabia”, that “the approach is positive, but it is not effective and insufficient, and that none of the families of the victims have received the slightest dollar at that time”. .”
Lawyer Cécile Roques from the Victims’ Families Committee explained to “Sky News Arabia”:
The Beirut Public Prosecutor’s Office, in cooperation with British lawyer Camille Abu Suleiman, had previously filed a complaint to sue the Savaro company. In February 2023, the British Supreme Court issued a decision ruling on the liability of the British company Savaro as the owner of the explosive nitrate in another civil action. The trial is separate from the Lebanese criminal proceedings filed before the judicial investigator in Lebanon, Tariq Al-Bitar, in which the Beirut prosecution represents more than 1,200 victims.
Is the decision carried out?
Roukoz considered that “it is difficult to apply this decision rendered by the British court, specifying: “In the event that the company “Savaro Limited” refuses to voluntarily apply this decision, the trend will be towards mandatory application, meaning that the UK court will seize the company’s assets and sell them at public auction, pointing out that the company is most likely bogus and therefore difficult to enforce the ruling.
And she felt that “what happened in Britain will be the start of lawsuits by the families of other victims against the Savaro company”.
A message of hope
Roukoz said: “What happened in Britain is a message of hope for us, and similar cases have been opened in US courts alongside our representations to the United Nations Human Rights Council. United to obtain justice, and we hope that as a result we will obtain the decision to form an international commission of inquiry in the months to come.”
The lawyer added: “The decision is positive in terms of information that can be added to the investigation file. The most important thing for the families is to implement the decision and compel the company to pay compensation. victims did not obtain justice in the real sense, although the verdict bears a positive character, and it is the first decision rendered by a foreign court, especially since Judge Bitar has already filed a complaint against the Savaro company , owner of explosive nitrates.
And she continued: “What matters to us is that the decision proves the responsibility of the company Savaro, owner of the nitrates against which Judge Al-Bitar claimed in Beirut, and knowing how the explosive material arrived, who bought it and who stored it in the port, noting that the Savaro company is among the companies against which Judge Al-Bitar claimed, in addition to several. Most of them are fake companies.
In the same context, a journalist specializing in court cases, Youssef Diab, told Sky News Arabia:
European justice won its case by compensating a certain number of victims of the explosion with responsibility, I would be fair to them financially, but not legally or morally. Justice is served when the families of the victims know how the nitrates were imported and who hid them in the port of Beirut, and how the explosion occurred. This can only be achieved when the forensic investigator, Tariq Al-Bitar, returns to follow up the investigation. The financial side will not do justice to the families of the victims, the objective being the retribution of those responsible for this massacre. Lebanese justice must complete the investigation, and if it fails, the bet is on an international commission of inquiry. Access to an international commission of inquiry is subject to several conditions, including the Lebanese government’s request for an international commission of inquiry to the United Nations, which is not currently available.
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