Hannibal Gaddafi released on $11 million bail after ten years behind bars—The full story

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  

After ten years of detention in Lebanon, Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was granted bail on Friday in the case related to the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr.

Gaddafi, who has been imprisoned since 2015 after being kidnapped and brought from Syria to Lebanon, appeared three times before Investigative Judge Zaher Hamadeh, the last being in 2017. 

He arrived at the Justice Palace on Friday in a vehicle escorted by the Information Branch, accompanied by his French lawyer, Laurent Bayon, and Lebanese attorney Nassib Chedid. Gaddafi appeared to have gained weight, most likely caused by medications. The session, which also included the legal team representing the al-Sadr family, lasted one hour and 45 minutes.
 
During the hearing, Gaddafi repeated his earlier statements, insisting that he was less than three years old at the time of Imam al-Sadr's disappearance and had no knowledge of the case. 

However, he admitted that his 2015 arrest was, in part, a move for his own safety, as he feared extradition to Libya, where he faced war crimes charges and an Interpol red notice.
 
Gaddafi also confirmed to Judge Hamadeh that investigators had found a digitally altered, offensive image of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on his hard drive, explaining that he had created it in his youth. "Will you detain me for another ten years because of that photo?" Gaddafi reportedly asked the judge.

Following the session, Judge Hamadeh ordered Gaddafi's release on bail set at $11 million: $10 million allocated for personal claims and $1 million to guarantee his court appearances. He was also issued a travel ban.

Gaddafi's French lawyer expressed frustration over what he described as political interference that has prolonged his client’s detention. 

Defense attorneys welcomed the release order but criticized the bail amount as "unrealistic," noting that the Gaddafi family's assets have been frozen by the United Nations since 2012.

The decision comes amid renewed international pressure from human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, and a campaign led by Gaddafi's legal team abroad.

 Questions remain over whether the court will agree to reduce the bail amount, and who might step in to secure his release after a decade in custody.