Hannibal Gaddafi to face Lebanese judge for first time in eight years

Lebanon's judiciary will question Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, on Friday, marking the first time in eight years that he will appear before a Lebanese judge, a source close to the case told a local media outlet.

Gaddafi, who has been detained in Lebanon for nearly ten years, will be heard by Judge Zaher Hamadeh, the investigative magistrate at the Court of Justice handling his case, L’Orient-Le Jour reported.

He is expected to attend the session accompanied by one of his three lawyers, the outlet said.

The 49-year-old, whose wife is Lebanese, was arrested in December 2015 for "withholding information" about the disappearance in Libya of Imam Moussa Sadr, the founder of the Amal Movement, and his two companions, journalist Abbas Badreddine and cleric Mohammad Yaacoub, who vanished in August 1978.

The case recently saw a rare development when the Badreddine family, a civil party in the proceedings, agreed in June to Gaddafi's latest request for release.

Judge Hamadeh subsequently referred the file to Public Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar at the Court of Cassation for his opinion on the matter. On Wednesday, Hajjar declined to issue a position, leaving the final decision to the investigating judge.

Gaddafi was discharged from hospital on Tuesday after spending several days under medical care and was returned to prison. His legal team has since attempted to visit him but has not yet received permission.

Hannibal Gaddafi was abducted on 11 December 2015 in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley by an armed group reportedly involving Hassan Yaacoub, the son of Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub, one of the missing clerics.

Hassan Yaacoub, a former MP, was later detained for seven months in connection with the case. After being released by his captors and handed over to Lebanese Internal Security Intelligence in Hermel, Gaddafi was summoned as a witness by Judge Hamadé, who later charged him with defamation.

Gaddafi was just three years old at the time of Imam Moussa Sadr's disappearance.