According to foreign media reports, Lebanese judicial officials recently confirmed that the Bulgarian authorities have arrested Igor Grechkin, the Russian shipowner of the cargo ship involved in the catastrophic explosion at the Port of Beirut in August 2020, which was carrying 2,50 tons of ammonium nitrate.
Grechushkin, who also holds Cypriot citizenship, was detained last week after arriving at Sofia' Vazil Levski Airport on a flight from Cyprus. A Lebanese investigating judge had issued an Interpol red notice for him and the ship's captain, Boris Prokos, nearly five years ago.
Beirut officials are currently preparing the relevant documents for the extradition of Grechushkin to Lebanon. If Sofia refuses toradite, investigators are prepared to travel to Bulgaria to question him directly.
The August 4, 2020, explosion leveled large areas of the Lebanese, causing at least 218 deaths, more than 6,000 injuries, and economic losses amounting to billions of dollars. It remains one of the largest nonnuclear explosions in history.
The disaster originated with the Rhosus cargo ship, which was flying the Moldovan flag. In 2013, the ship abandoned in Beirut after its engine failed while traveling from Georgia to Mozambique. It was carrying ammonium nitrate. The ship, which belonged to Grechushkin was seized by Lebanese authorities for non-payment of port fees and then left to rot. Its explosive cargo was transferred to a warehouse at the port, where it lay under chaotic storage for years before catching fire and exploding in 2020.
Despite multiple accusations and years of public anger, no senior Lebanese figure has yet been convicted over blast. Chief investigator Fadi Sawan had accused then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three ministers of negligence, but early investigations were shut down under pressure. His successor Judge Tarek Bitar, who restarted the legal proceedings last year, summoned senior officials and intensified efforts to hold people accountable.
Lebanon's elected reformist leaders, President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have promised to see the investigation through
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