Hannibal Gaddafi Suffers Health, Psychological Setback, Refuses to See Doctors

Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
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Hannibal Gaddafi Suffers Health, Psychological Setback, Refuses to See Doctors

Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)

An official Lebanese source revealed that Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, “is going through a very difficult health and psychological condition,” as he awaits his prosecution seven years after his detention under an arrest warrant in Lebanon.

The Lebanese judiciary accuses the son of Muammar Gaddafi of “withholding information related to the fate of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine,” who went missing during a visit to the Libyan capital in 1978.

The official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hannibal “suffers from difficult health symptoms,” adding that his condition has further deteriorated in recent weeks.

“He refuses to talk to anyone or to be examined by doctors,” according to the source.

Gaddafi’s attorney, Ghassan al-Mawla, refused to give details on his client’s situation, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that he was “committed to the instructions of the Bar Association, which prevent lawyers from making media statements.”

Hannibal Gaddafi’s judicial case has seen no progress in seven years, due to the Libyan authorities’ reluctance to cooperate with Judge Zaher Hamadeh, who is in charge of the matter.

An informed judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the judicial investigator has “sent several memos to notify 13 Libyan individuals of their suspicious involvement in the case, including officers and key cadres in the Muammar Gaddafi regime.”

But Libyan authorities deliberately ignored the Lebanese requests, the source underlined.

The source stressed that Hannibal was arrested according to the law and without any injustice, adding that legal measures were taken against him for concealing information about the kidnapping and disappearance of Imam al-Sadr and his two companions and his suspicious involvement in the case.



Duraid al-Assad's Wife, Daughter Appear before Lebanon’s Judiciary for Forging their Passports

The Syrian revolution flag is raised over the Syrian embassy in Lebanon. (SANA)
The Syrian revolution flag is raised over the Syrian embassy in Lebanon. (SANA)
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Duraid al-Assad's Wife, Daughter Appear before Lebanon’s Judiciary for Forging their Passports

The Syrian revolution flag is raised over the Syrian embassy in Lebanon. (SANA)
The Syrian revolution flag is raised over the Syrian embassy in Lebanon. (SANA)

Investigations into Rifaat al-Assad's granddaughter and mother continued in Lebanon after they were detained for attempting to travel using a forged passport.

Shams Duraid Rifaat al-Assad and her mother Rasha Khazem were arrested at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport last week.

The new Syrian authorities in Damascus suspended consular services at the Syrian embassy in Beirut after on supsicion that the forgery took place there. They have since opened an investigation to find out who was behind the forgery.

A judicial source at Lebanon’s General Security said preliminary investigations, overseen by Public Prosecutor Judge Jamal Hajjar, have been completed with Shams and Khazem.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hajjar ordered that the investigations be referred to the general prosecution in Mount Lebanon so that they can be charged for the possession of forged passports in Lebanon and using them to travel to Cairo.

They will be put on trial for carrying and using a forged official document, which carries a sentence of two months to three years in jail, added the source.

The presiding judge will determine how long they will be held in detention.

Should the investigation reveal that the forgery took place at the Syrian embassy in Lebanon, then the case will be referred to the Syrian authorities, explained the source.

Shams and Khazem confessed to entering Lebanon through an illegal border crossing hours after Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed on December 8.

They said that they were unable to renew their expired passports.

Duraid al-Assad had reportedly traveled to Cairo hours before they were detained. His father Rifaat had traveled from Beirut to the United Arab Emirates through Beirut’s international airport using a valid passport.

The judicial source stressed that Rifaat and Duraid are not wanted by Lebanese authorities and there are no international warrants for their arrest, so they were able to travel without incident.

A source monitoring the development said the employees at the consular section are being thoroughly investigated by the new Syrian authorities. The authorities may ask for assistance from Lebanon in their probe.

It told Asharq Al-Awsat that the incident demonstrates that some embassy staff are sympathetic with the Assad regime, which stands in stark contrast to an embassy statement, issued hours after the regime collapse, that expressed relief at its ouster and the end of half a century of brutal Assad rule.