The son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is no longer in custody following a decade of confinement.
Hannibal Gaddafi secured his freedom on Monday, after a bail payment of $900,000 was finalized.
His prolonged detention stemmed from accusations that he possessed critical information concerning the vanishing of a respected Lebanese cleric.
Freedom Secured After Judicial Shift
The release was confirmed by lawyer Charbel Milad al-Khoury, a member of the defense team. Al-Khoury stated that his client was officially released on Monday evening, immediately following the completion of all necessary judicial documentation.
“Hannibal is officially free and has the full right to choose the destination that he wants,” al-Khoury announced. Citing serious security concerns, the attorney declined to disclose any specific details about Gaddafi’s future travel plans.
His freedom was made possible by a crucial change in the country’s judicial stance. Days earlier, judicial authorities had substantially lowered the required bail amount.
Concurrently, they lifted a pre-existing restriction on his international travel. Before that policy shift, a delegation representing Libya had visited the country. They reportedly advanced diplomatic talks aimed at securing Gaddafi’s release.
The Decades-Old Disappearance
Gaddafi had been held in Lebanon since 2015. His charge centered on allegations of concealing facts about the destiny of Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr. The cleric vanished during a 1978 trip to Libya. It is noteworthy that Gaddafi was less than three years old at the time of the cleric’s disappearance.
Initially, a Lebanese judge authorized Gaddafi’s release in mid-October against an $11 million bail. However, this ruling included a prohibition against him leaving the country.
At that time, his lawyers challenged the amount. They argued he was unable to produce such a large sum and formally requested permission for him to travel abroad.
The Thursday ruling saw his judicial bail reduced dramatically to 80 billion Lebanese pounds $900,000. Once the reduced fee was settled, the travel restriction was simultaneously removed, paving the way for his departure.
Intercession and Legal Conclusion
Several judicial and security sources confirmed the visiting Libyan delegation provided the funds for the reduced bail.
The Justice Ministry, which represents the Tripoli-based government, also publicly verified the bail payment via its social media platforms.
Officials in Beirut also confirmed a separate legal victory for Gaddafi. His defense team withdrew an earlier case filed in Geneva against the Lebanese state. This international filing had protested his long detention without formal trial.
Libya formally requested Hannibal Gaddafi’s freedom in 2023. The request cited his rapidly deteriorating health. This decline resulted from a hunger strike he initiated to protest his protracted detention without judicial proceedings.
Gaddafi had been living in exile in Syria with his wife, Aline Skaf, and children. In 2015, he was forcibly abducted and transported to Lebanon by local militants. These individuals sought information regarding al-Sadr’s whereabouts.
Lebanese police eventually announced they had taken custody of Gaddafi from the northeastern city of Baalbek. He remained in a Beirut jail thereafter, where he faced continuous interrogation regarding the cleric’s fate.
The case of the missing cleric remains a persistent source of friction in Lebanon. While most Lebanese presume the religious leader is deceased, his family maintains hope he might still be alive in a Libyan prison. He would be 96 years old today.
