A Libyan delegation in Lebanon met Monday with senior judicial officials to advance discussions over the potential release of Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, who has been detained without trial in Lebanon since 2015.
The five-member delegation held meetings with three top Lebanese judicial figures, including prosecutor Jamal Hajar, according to four officials familiar with the talks who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The discussions focused on easing bail conditions and lifting a travel ban imposed on Gadhafi, who is accused of withholding information about the fate of Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr — missing since 1978 — despite having been less than three years old at the time.
A Lebanese judge had ordered Gadhafi’s release last month on an $11 million bail, but his legal team said he could not afford the amount. The Libyan delegation requested a significant reduction in bail and the removal of the travel ban, proposing that Gadhafi be allowed to leave Lebanon for Qatar, where he is expected to settle.
The officials said the delegation also handed over a detailed report regarding the decades-old disappearance of al-Sadr, a prominent cleric who vanished during a visit to Libya with two companions, Abbas Badreddine and Mohammed Yacoub. The case remains one of Lebanon’s most contentious political mysteries.
Hostage Aid Worldwide, a Washington-based advocacy group, has been pressing for Gadhafi’s release, citing his deteriorating health and prolonged detention without due process. The organization has been in talks with senior Lebanese authorities in recent weeks to ensure compliance with international legal standards.
Gadhafi’s arrest has long strained ties between Tripoli and Beirut. In a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Libyan delegation said Tripoli was eager to restore bilateral relations and resolve outstanding disputes. Aoun’s office later confirmed that he supported efforts to strengthen cooperation between both nations.
Hannibal Gadhafi had been living in exile in Syria with his Lebanese wife, Aline Skaf, and their children until he was abducted in 2015 by Lebanese militants demanding information about al-Sadr’s fate. Lebanese police later announced that they had taken him into custody in the city of Baalbek. Since then, he has remained jailed in Beirut.
Al-Sadr, who founded a Shiite political and military group active during Lebanon’s 1975–1990 civil war, would be 96 years old if still alive. His family has maintained hope he might still be held in Libya, though most Lebanese believe he was killed decades ago.
Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled Libya for more than 40 years, was overthrown and killed during the country’s 2011 uprising. Hannibal fled with relatives to Algeria before settling in Syria, where he was granted political asylum until his abduction.
The late Libyan leader had eight children. Several played key roles in his government, with some killed during the 2011 conflict and others living in exile. His son Seif al-Islam, once considered his heir, remains in Libya following his release in 2017.
The latest diplomatic efforts suggest that a resolution for Hannibal Gadhafi’s long detention could soon be within reach, potentially closing a case that has lingered for nearly half a century at the intersection of Lebanese justice and Libyan politics.
