A high-level official delegation representing Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) arrived in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Monday. The delegation is led by National Security Advisor Ibrahim Dbeibah and Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs Walid Al-Lafi, and is set to conduct crucial talks. The visit centres on the case of Hannibal Gaddafi, alongside the long-standing file concerning the disappearance of Imam Musa Sadr and his two companions.
Well-informed sources told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that the primary objective is to find comprehensive solutions for both issues, with the potential to end a period of diplomatic inertia and revive bilateral relations between Libya and Lebanon.
Inas Harrak, coordinator for Hannibal Gaddafi’s defence team, cautiously welcomed the Libyan initiative, despite its delay, stating that “a late arrival is better than absence.” She expressed hope that the visit would facilitate a genuine breakthrough in both the Gaddafi and Sadr cases, ensuring justice and concluding years of judicial and political complexity. The defence team insists that Hannibal’s case remains purely judicial and humanitarian, entirely separate from political considerations.
On the legal front, a Lebanese court issued a decision on 17 October to release Hannibal, following nearly a decade of detention without trial, subject to an astronomical bail of $11 million. While the legal team awaits the judicial decision on this “imaginary” bail amount, Harrak confirmed their intent to appeal the ruling as unjustified, stressing that her client has spent 11 years unjustly imprisoned in Lebanon without a trial.
The defence coordinator clarified that Hannibal’s file is continuously, and unfairly, linked to the Musa Sadr case, despite the court itself establishing that he possesses no information about the missing Imam. This fact led to the “legal victory” of his release, albeit tied to the exorbitant bail. Harrak confirmed that the team has formally requested that the bail amount be reduced or entirely cancelled. She also emphatically stated that any potential bail payment must be managed exclusively through the legal team, not through direct arrangements between the two states, adding, “We await the judge’s decision, and if the bail is not reduced, we will appeal again until his release.” She concluded that true justice demands Hannibal’s final release after his prolonged custody.
