Libya inquires about Hannibal Gaddafi's detention in Lebanon

The Public Prosecutor of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, received a letter from the Libyan Attorney General, Counselor Sadiq Al-Sour, inquiring about the reasons behind the continued detention of Hannibal Gaddafi, who has been held in Lebanon since 2015.

This article was originally published in, translated from the Arab outlet of Asharq Al-Awsat.

The letter also addressed the judicial assistance that Lebanon requires from the Libyan side regarding the case of Imam Musa Al-Sadr and his companions Sheikh Mohammed Yaacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine.

A Lebanese judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Oweidat "referred the letter to the judicial investigator in this case, Judge Zaher Hamadeh, to provide the answers requested by the Libyan side." 

The source clarified that Judge Hamadeh "began studying the Libyan message as he is the one responsible for the case. He is currently preparing a report to refute the accusations directed at Hannibal Gaddafi and the available evidence against him regarding the charges attributed to him in the Sadr case, which led to his continued detention until now."

The Libyan side requests "the approval of the Lebanese judiciary to enable the Libyan Public Prosecution to hear the statements of Hannibal Gaddafi."

The Lebanese judicial source stated that the Libyan request does not specify whether the hearing of Hannibal will take place in Lebanon or abroad. 

Additionally, "the Libyan positivity does not imply the extradition of Libyan individuals from the ranks of Muammar Gaddafi's regime, based on the fact that the Libyan Criminal Procedure Law prohibits the extradition of Libyans accused abroad of committing a crime or misdemeanor."