Lebanon may reduce Hannibal Gaddafi's bail, judicial source says

Lebanon is prepared to consider reducing or canceling the massive $11 million bail required for the release of Hannibal Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has been detained since 2015, his lawyer and a judicial official told AFP on Monday as a Libyan delegation was in Beirut. 

The Lebanese authorities have accused Hannibal Gaddafi of concealing information about the disappearance of Lebanese Shiite cleric and Amal Movement founder Moussa Sadr in Libya in 1978. 

Now 49, according to his lawyer, Gadhafi — whose wife is Lebanese — was about two years old at the time of the disappearance. He has been imprisoned in Lebanon without trial in what human rights NGOs describe as "arbitrary" detention.

The Libyan delegation's visit follows a previous visit in January 2024, also to address these two thorny cases, which have long been at the heart of negotiations between the countries.

These talks are taking place after investigative judge Zaher Hamadeh of the Beirut Court of Justice decided to release Hannibal Gaddafi on bail of $11 million.

Bail 'may be significantly reduced or canceled'

A judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the delegation met on Monday with Lebanese judicial representatives and President Joseph Aoun.

According to the same source, the delegation submitted to the judge investigating the Sadr disappearance "a copy of the investigations conducted by Libyan authorities into the Sadr case, as well as transcripts of the questioning of a number of political and security officials from the regime of former President Muammar Gaddafi."

The official mentioned "great flexibility" from the Lebanese side in the Hannibal Gaddafi case, saying the $11 million bail "may be reduced to a minimum to ensure it no longer stands in the way of Hannibal’s release."

The Lebanese judge also appears willing to lift the travel ban imposed on Hannibal Gaddafi, the official added.

French attorney Laurent Bayon told AFP the bail "should be significantly reduced, or even canceled."

According to him, the bail is divided into two parts: "$10 million for the victims and one million dollars as a guarantee of appearance." The judge could thus decide to require only a $1 million appearance guarantee, the French lawyer for Gaddafi explained, while noting that he continues to seek the cancellation of the "unjustified" bail.

Reviving political, diplomatic and judicial ties

Headed by Ibrahim Dbeibah, national security advisor to the Libyan government and nephew of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, the Libyan delegation to Beirut discussed outstanding matters between the two countries with Aoun, among others.

Walid Ellafi, Libya’s Minister of State for Political Affairs and in charge of Communications in the Government of National Unity, expressed his country’s willingness "to revive political, diplomatic and judicial relations" with Lebanon, according to remarks reported by the Lebanese presidency.

"We confirmed our willingness to work together to address the issues that have affected the speed and ease of cooperation, and we view this visit as a positive step that we hope will yield concrete results in the next phase," he added.

The minister went on: "We are still at the beginning, but we have found sufficient responsiveness from the Lebanese side, and commitment from all parties, especially President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, to cooperate on resolving outstanding issues."

He also said "he respects the judicial process and has heard positive news he hopes will benefit everyone," without providing further details.

Separately, the official commission monitoring the case of the disappearance of Moussa Sadr and his companions announced in a statement following a meeting with the Libyan delegation that the representative of Libya’s attorney general handed over "a copy of documents he described as investigations carried out by Libya regarding the disappearance of Moussa Sadr and his companions."

"These documents are being reviewed and evaluated in order to draw the appropriate conclusions and make the proper decision," the commission added.

'An injustice that has lasted more than 47 years'

Meanwhile, the administrative body of the Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub Foundation — the latter being one of Moussa Sadr’s companions — called on the Libyan delegation in a statement to "reveal all aspects of this crime without omissions in order to reach the truth and justice," expressing its "rejection of any suspicious attempt at compromise or minimization of the truth, as this injustice has persisted for more than 47 years."