Hannibal Gaddafi, the youngest son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been released by Lebanese authorities following almost ten years in detention without a trial. He was held since 2015 in connection with allegations that he possessed information about the disappearance of Lebanese Shia cleric Musa al-Sadr in 1978, an incident that occurred when Hannibal was only two years old. Human rights organisations had consistently criticised the prolonged detention as arbitrary.
The release was secured after a substantial bail payment, which had been reduced following an appeal from his legal team. Hannibal is expected to leave Lebanon for a private destination. His lawyer described the decade-long detention as a clear example of weaknesses in the Lebanese justice system, highlighting concerns over its independence.
During his time in Lebanon, Hannibal had briefly been kidnapped by an armed group before being placed under official custody. After the fall of his father’s regime and Muammar Gaddafi’s death in 2011, Hannibal had spent time in Syria and lived under house arrest in Oman with his wife, Aline Skaf.
Known for his lavish lifestyle under his father’s rule, Hannibal never held a senior position in Libya at the time of the cleric’s disappearance. The case surrounding Musa al-Sadr has remained a source of tension between Lebanon and Libya for decades.
