Lebanon frees Gaddafi's son after decade in detention

Hannibal Gaddafi, the youngest son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been released from a Lebanese prison after spending nearly 10 years in detention without trial, officials and his lawyer confirmed.

Gaddafi, now 49, had been held since 2015 on accusations of withholding information about the disappearance of prominent Lebanese Shia cleric Musa al-Sadr, who vanished during a visit to Libya in 1978 — when Gaddafi was just two years old.

Human rights groups had long condemned the detention as arbitrary and politically motivated.

His lawyer, Laurent Bayon, told AFP that Gaddafi’s $900,000 (£682,938) bail had been paid, paving the way for his release.

A judge had initially set bail at $11 million, but the amount was reduced last week following an appeal by the defence team. Bayon added that his client would now leave Lebanon for a “confidential destination.”

He criticised the Lebanese judiciary for what he described as a politically influenced process:

Gaddafi’s ordeal began in 2015 when he was abducted by an armed group in Lebanon and later handed over to authorities, who placed him under detention.

At the time, he had been living in Syria after fleeing Libya following his father’s overthrow and killing in 2011, before relocating to Oman, where he lived under house arrest with his wife, Aline Skaf.

The disappearance of Musa al-Sadr, a revered cleric and founder of Lebanon’s Amal Movement, has remained a sensitive issue in relations between Lebanon and Libya for over four decades.

Libyan officials under Muammar Gaddafi long denied responsibility, and Hannibal Gaddafi — a child at the time of the incident — has maintained he had no knowledge or role in the matter.

Before Libya’s 2011 revolution, Hannibal Gaddafi was known internationally for his extravagant lifestyle, often drawing media attention for his wealth and controversies abroad.