Lebanese judicial authorities have removed the travel restrictions placed on the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
They have also significantly reduced his bail amount, paving the way for his release after nearly a decade in detention without trial.
Hannibal Gaddafi has been held since 2015. He was detained on charges that he withheld information regarding the disappearance of a revered Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Imam Musa al-Sadr.
Al-Sadr vanished during a trip to Libya in 1978. Gaddafi, the youngest son of the former leader, was only two years old at the time of the cleric’s disappearance.
Bail Reduced Following Diplomatic Engagement
The decision by the country’s judicial authorities on Thursday occurred just days after a delegation from Libya visited Lebanon.
In October, a Lebanese judge had previously ordered Gaddafi’s release on a bail amount of $11 million. However, that order included a strict ban on him traveling outside Lebanon.
At the time, his legal team protested the amount, arguing he did not possess the funds necessary to pay it. They actively sought permission for him to leave the country.
That substantial bail amount has now been dramatically reduced to approximately $900,000. Once the payment is finalized, he will be permitted to depart Lebanon.
Judicial officials confirmed that Gaddafi has already decided to exit the country after his release. His family plans to follow him later.
The Complex Case of Imam Musa al-Sadr
The case of the missing cleric remains a painful, long-standing diplomatic issue in Lebanon. Al-Sadr’s family maintains the belief that he may still be alive, possibly in a Libyan prison.
Nevertheless, the majority of Lebanese citizens presume the cleric, who would now be 96, is deceased.
Imam Musa al-Sadr was a highly influential figure. He founded a Shiite political and military group that played a role in the lengthy Lebanese civil war, which began in 1975.
Libya formally requested Gaddafi’s freedom in 2023. They cited his rapidly deteriorating health after he launched a hunger strike to protest his prolonged detention without formal trial.
Gaddafi had been living in self-imposed exile in Syria with his Lebanese wife, Aline Skaf, and their children. He was abducted in 2015 and subsequently brought to Lebanon by Lebanese militants.
His father, Muammar Gaddafi, was killed by opposition fighters during Libya’s 2011 uprising, which concluded his four-decade rule of the North African country.
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