A Lebanese judge on Friday ordered the release of Hannibal Kadhafi, son of Libya’s former ruler Moamer Kadhafi, on $11 million bail, ending nearly ten years of pre-trial detention linked to the decades-old disappearance of Lebanese Shiite cleric Musa Sadr.
Kadhafi, 49, was arrested in 2015 after being abducted by armed men and brought to Lebanon. Authorities later detained him on suspicion of withholding information about Sadr’s disappearance during an official visit to Libya in 1978. At the time, Kadhafi was just two years old.
Following Friday’s hearing, the judge also imposed a travel ban on Kadhafi, a judicial official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
His lawyer, Laurent Bayon, condemned the bail terms as “totally unacceptable in a case of arbitrary detention,” arguing that Kadhafi remains under international sanctions and lacks the means to pay such a sum. “Where do you want him to find $11 million?” Bayon said.
The Sadr family issued a statement expressing “surprise” at the court’s decision but reiterated that their focus remains on uncovering the truth behind the cleric’s disappearance. “The arrest or release of Hannibal Kadhafi is not our goal, but rather a mere legal procedure,” the family said.
Human Rights Watch had previously called for Kadhafi’s release, describing his detention as unjustified and based on “apparently unsubstantiated allegations.” His lawyer recently raised concerns about his health, citing severe depression and a hospitalisation for abdominal pain.
Kadhafi, who is married to Lebanese model Aline Skaf, lives in Lebanon with their two younger children, while their eldest studies in Europe. The couple previously made headlines in 2008 when they were arrested in Geneva for allegedly assaulting domestic staff, sparking a diplomatic row with Switzerland.
The case continues to strain Libyan-Lebanese relations, with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri accusing Libya’s post-revolution authorities of failing to cooperate in the investigation. Libya has denied the allegations.
Kadhafi’s name has also surfaced in the corruption case involving former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was sentenced last month to five years in prison over allegations that Moamer Kadhafi financed his 2007 presidential campaign. French investigators have probed possible efforts to influence Lebanese judges in 2021 to secure Hannibal Kadhafi’s release and obtain exculpatory information for Sarkozy.
Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman and key witness in the Sarkozy case, died in Lebanon last month.
