Justice Minister Adel Nassar said Tuesday that the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion is advancing without delay and that a final judicial decision is expected before the end of the year, as families of the victims gathered at the port to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the disaster.

Relatives of those killed in the Aug. 4, 2020 blast held a tribute ceremony inside the port grounds in front of a memorial bearing the names of the victims.

Nassar said the Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting the investigation seriously and professionally while fully respecting the independence of the judiciary.

“The investigation is moving forward at a normal pace, and the final decision is expected before the end of the year,” Nassar said from the memorial site.

He noted that Lebanon’s Judicial Council had been effectively inactive for years before being reconstituted under the current government, and said it now meets at least once a week.

“The Judicial Council is working diligently and without any delay or obstruction,” he said, adding that Judge Suheil Abboud, who heads the council, serves as a guarantor of judicial independence and the proper functioning of the courts.

“We should be reassured that the judiciary is now carrying out its work without procrastination,” Nassar added.

In comments to MTV, the justice minister described the port explosion as both a criminal act and a national and human tragedy.

“We are gathered today on an anniversary that remains deeply painful for the entire Lebanese people and for all those affected,” he said. “If the state and the judiciary are unable to tell the Lebanese people the results of the investigation, we will have destroyed trust between the state and its citizens instead of rebuilding it.”

Nassar said cooperation between the Public Prosecutor’s Office and investigating Judge Tarek Bitar had improved since the beginning of President Joseph Aoun’s term, and noted that the Lebanese judiciary had set what he described as a historic precedent by conducting part of the investigation abroad.

He also said that the formation of the current government had allowed the judiciary to become fully constituted and address legal obstacles that had previously stalled the investigation.

According to Nassar, prosecutors have informed him that they expect to complete their legal submission within 60 to 90 days, after which Bitar will be able to issue his final decision.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said the port explosion anniversary had occupied a significant portion of Monday’s Cabinet meeting.

“The prime minister said that the indictment will be issued soon, while respecting the independence of the judiciary,” Morcos said. “Under the current administration and this government, there are no obstacles standing in the way of the judicial investigation.”

The August 4, 2020 explosion, caused by a massive stockpile of ammonium nitrate that had been stored unsafely at the port for years, killed more than 220 people, injured thousands, and devastated large parts of Beirut. The investigation has faced years of political and legal challenges that repeatedly halted proceedings.