Lebanon eases restrictions on Qaddafi’s son, reduces bail and allows him to leave
Assalamu alaikum - Lebanese judicial officials and one of his lawyers said authorities lifted the travel ban and lowered the bail for the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, clearing the way for his possible departure. The move followed recent talks with a Libyan delegation that reportedly made progress on his case.
Previously, a Lebanese judge ordered his release on $11 million bail but barred him from leaving the country. His lawyers had said he could not afford that sum and requested permission for him to travel. On Thursday the bail was reduced to 80 billion Lebanese pounds (around $900,000) and the travel ban was removed, allowing him to leave after the bail is posted, according to judicial and security sources who spoke anonymously.
Those officials said he plans to leave Lebanon once released and that his family is expected to join him later. One of his lawyers commented that they had just been informed and would discuss the details.
He has been held in Lebanon since 2015 without trial over allegations of withholding information about the disappearance of Lebanese cleric Moussa Al-Sadr during a 1978 trip to Libya. The case has long been a sensitive issue in Lebanon; the cleric’s family believes he might have been detained in Libya, though many in Lebanon assume he is dead.
Libya formally requested his release in 2023, citing concerns about his health after a hunger strike protesting detention without trial. He had been living in exile with his Lebanese wife and children before being taken to Lebanon in 2015. The matter remains a contentious and emotional chapter in the region’s recent history.
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