Release of Hannibal Gaddafi in Lebanon after a decade of detention on record bail

The Lebanese judiciary issued a decision today, Friday, to release Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, after being held for ten years without trial.

The decision came with the condition of paying a huge bail amount, related to the case of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr in Libya in 1978.

Hannibal Gaddafi's defense team described the bail amount as "impossible," announcing their intention to appeal it. The defense team stated in a statement: "The bail amount of 11 million dollars (for Gaddafi's release) is impossible," revealing that "they will appeal to request the court to reduce it."

According to a Lebanese judicial source, the investigating judge in the case, Zahir Hamada, is the one who issued the decision to approve the release. The French news agency quoted the source as saying: "The investigating judge in the case of the kidnapping and disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, Judge Zahir Hamada, agreed to release Hannibal Gaddafi in exchange for a bail of 11 million dollars," while also indicating that the decision included "a travel ban."

It is worth noting that Hannibal Gaddafi has been detained in Lebanon since 2015, while the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his companions remain a complex political and judicial issue in Lebanon.