BEIRUT – The European Union (EU) on Tuesday urged the Lebanese government to complete the investigation into the Beirut Port blasts as soon as possible, while demanding that the probe should be impartial, credible, transparent, and independent.

“The investigation should be allowed to proceed without any interference in legal proceedings and those responsible for this tragedy should be held accountable,” said a statement issued by the EU delegation to Lebanon.

It added that “it is up to the Lebanese authorities to enable the investigation to continue with all the necessary human and financial resources, so it can finally shed light on what happened in August last year and provide credible answers to the pressing questions from the Lebanese people about why it happened and how it happened.”

The investigation into the blasts was suspended on Tuesday after two former ministers facing charges filed a new legal complaint against lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar.

The blasts which rocked the Beirut Port on Aug. 4, 2020 killed over 200 people and wounded more than 6,000 others, while destroying a big part of the city.