According to the sources, the Libyan authorities consider “Hannibal Gaddafi” to be “detained, not arrested” in Lebanon, and treat him only as a Libyan citizen, and indicated that Tripoli will not seek to recover him.
The sources also clarified that the Libyan delegation stated that “Hannibal Gaddafi” has the right to choose his destination after his release, and that the Libyan authorities will not object if he decides to stay in Lebanon.
During its visit to Beirut, the Libyan delegation handed over a file containing about 150 pages of statements related to the case of the disappearance of Imam “Musa al-Sadr” and his companions, and signed a memorandum with the Lebanese side to activate the agreement of understanding signed in 2014, with the aim of accelerating the exchange of information and conducting further investigations when necessary.
The sources indicated that the Lebanese committee is currently reviewing the results of the Libyan investigations into the case of the disappearance of “al-Sadr,” with initial, non-definitive indications about the fate of the Imam.
The Lebanese judiciary had issued a decision last October to release “Hannibal Gaddafi” after ten years of detention without trial, in exchange for bail of $11 million.
It is noteworthy that “Hannibal Gaddafi” (49 years old), the son of the late Libyan leader “Muammar Gaddafi” and the husband of a Lebanese fashion model, was arrested in December 2015 on charges of withholding information related to the disappearance of Imam “Musa al-Sadr” and his companions in 1978.
“Muammar Gaddafi” is accused of responsibility for the mysterious disappearance of Imam “al-Sadr” during his visit to Libya, while “Hannibal” was two years old at the time.
“Hannibal” had sought political asylum in Syria after the death of his father in 2011, before being lured to Lebanon by a group led by former MP “Hasan Yacoub,” the son of Sheikh “Mohammed Yacoub,” who disappeared with Imam “al-Sadr.”
