In his conversation with ‘Sputnik’, he added that the team ‘welcomes the decision to release Hannibal Gaddafi, considering it a legal and humanitarian step in the right direction.’ Regarding the details of the last few days, he said: ‘The procedures were carried out in recent days with close monitoring by the defense team.’ He noted that the defense team performed its role to the fullest and will continue its work until all legal aspects are fulfilled and a full acquittal is declared, along with related matters, clearly.
The Lebanese judiciary officially decided on Monday to release Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, from prison after posting a bail of 893,000 US dollars. The official Lebanese National News Agency reported that ‘Muammar Gaddafi was released from the Internal Security Forces prison on Monday evening, having spent 10 years detained on charges of withholding information in the case of the kidnapping and disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his companions.’
The agency clarified that ‘Gaddafi’s release came after his defense agents paid the bail amounting to 893,000 US dollars and they proceeded to the General Directorate of General Security to settle his legal status, like all detained foreigners,’ noting that ‘afterwards, the release decision was handed over to the prison commander, and he was released.’
The legal defense team for Hannibal Gaddafi announced last week that ‘the required bail for Hannibal’s release, amounting to 900,000 dollars, is scheduled to be paid within the next two days.’ Khoury noted that ‘Hannibal Gaddafi intends to leave after paying the bail and head to a specific country, but his destination cannot be disclosed for security reasons.’
The investigating judge in the case of the kidnapping of Imam Musa al-Sadr agreed last Thursday to ‘reduce Hannibal Gaddafi’s bail from 11 million dollars to 900,000 dollars to secure his release.’ It was also decided to cancel the travel ban on Gaddafi and allow him to leave Lebanon immediately upon payment of the bail, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.
This comes after the Libyan National Unity Government announced that the Lebanese authorities decided to release Libyan citizen Hannibal Muammar Gaddafi and cancel the imposed bail. The government expressed its appreciation to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri for their cooperation and understanding in the matter, affirming that the decision reflects the spirit of brotherhood and historical relations between the two peoples.
The Libyan National Unity Government also welcomed ‘the Lebanese leadership’s intentions to reactivate diplomatic relations and enhance political, economic, and security cooperation, considering that this serves the common interest of both peoples.’ It reiterated ‘its commitment to dialogue and constructive cooperation with Lebanon, stemming from its belief in Arab destiny unity and the importance of relations based on mutual respect and common interests.’
It is noted that Hannibal Gaddafi left in 2011, eventually reaching Syria, where he was allegedly kidnapped (according to Gaddafi’s statements) and then taken to Lebanon, where he was arrested in 2015.
