A Libyan government delegation has arrived in Beirut to hold talks with Lebanese authorities regarding the case of Hannibal Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, according to sources cited by Al Arabiya and Al Hadath on Monday.
The delegation, sent by the Tripoli-based government, aims to seek a solution to Hannibal’s case and the long-standing issue of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions, whose disappearance during a 1978 visit to Libya remains unresolved. The talks are also expected to pave the way for restoring diplomatic ties between Libya and Lebanon after years of tension.
The development comes after Hannibal Gaddafi’s legal team reaffirmed that his case is purely judicial and humanitarian, with no political dimensions. On 17 October, a Lebanese court ordered his release after ten years of detention without trial, against a financial bail of $11 million. However, his defence team rejected the bail condition.
French lawyer Laurent Bayon described the decision as “unacceptable in a case of arbitrary detention”, noting that his client remains under international sanctions and cannot raise such an amount.
Hannibal Gaddafi, 49, who is married to a Lebanese model, was arrested in December 2015 by Lebanese authorities on charges of “withholding information” related to the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two aides during their visit to Libya in August 1978, when Hannibal was only two years old.
Since his arrest, he has not been formally tried and remains in solitary confinement. The latest Libyan diplomatic move signals a renewed push from Tripoli to secure his release while simultaneously addressing broader issues affecting Libyan–Lebanese relations.
