Bulgarian Court Rejects Request to Extradite Owner of Ship Linked to Beirut Explosion

A Bulgarian court rejected on Wednesday the request from Lebanese authorities to extradite Cypriot-Russian citizen Igor Grechushkin, the former owner of the ship linked to the massive explosion that destroyed the port of Beirut five years ago. The court attributed its decision to the lack of sufficient guarantees from Lebanon that the death penalty would not be enforced against Grechushkin if issued.

Grechushkin's lawyer, Ekaterina Dimitrova, stated that the reason for the rejection was that "Lebanon did not provide guarantees that if a death sentence were issued, it would not be carried out," according to the French Press Agency. The prosecution has the option to appeal the ruling within seven days to the Sofia Court of Appeals, with its decision being final. This ruling will keep the suspect in temporary detention until the appeal is decided.

It is noted that Grechushkin, the owner of the "Rhosus" ship that transported a shipment of ammonium nitrate to the port of Beirut, was arrested last September (2025) at Sofia Airport based on an international arrest warrant from Lebanese authorities. The Lebanese prosecution has charged him with "bringing explosives to Beirut, an act of terrorism that resulted in the deaths of many people, and sabotaging machinery with the intent to sink a ship."

Meanwhile, local investigations into the disaster of August 4, 2020, continue amid repeated obstacles over the past five years. Initial investigations concluded that the massive explosion, considered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, resulted from a fire that broke out in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored unsafely for years. Investigations revealed that officials at multiple levels were aware of the risks of this material and did not take the necessary precautions.

The explosion resulted in the deaths of more than 220 people and injured over 6,500 others, in addition to causing massive destruction to the port and surrounding areas in the Lebanese capital. Many Lebanese are still waiting for a comprehensive investigation that would bring justice to the victims and fully uncover the circumstances of the tragic incident.