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4 September 2008
GENEVA — Geneva’s chief prosecutor said Wednesday he decided to drop the case against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s son and daughter-in-law for allegedly beating up two of their servants.
Daniel Zappelli said the case against Hannibal Gadhafi and his wife, Aline, will be closed because the former servants withdrew their complaint, leaving him with insufficient grounds to continue.
The servants’ lawyer, Francois Membrez, said Tuesday the complaint for alleged bodily harm, making threats and coercion was rescinded in a "free manner".
The servants, a Moroccan man and a Tunisian woman, were compensated and given temporary visas to stay in Switzerland. Membrez declined to specify the amount of compensation or say who paid it.
The July arrest and charging of Gadhafi and his wife led to a diplomatic crisis between Libya and Switzerland.
Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel said the closure of the case was an important step toward resolving the matter between the two countries. Switzerland will continue talks with Libya until relations have been fully restored, he said.
Libya’s recriminations included recalling some of its diplomats, reducing the number of airline flights and detaining two Swiss nationals. The two were released on bail later but were ordered to stay in Libya.
The country, which supplies more than 50 percent of Switzerland’s crude oil imports, briefly embargoed deliveries, demanded the case against Gadhafi be dropped and that Swiss authorities make a public apology.
Oil deliveries resumed 30 July, a week after the embargo. The government spokesman Oswald Sigg said Wednesday that no apology was made by Switzerland.
Gadhafi’s regime also arrested the brother and mother of one of the servants. Membrez said the mother has been freed, but there has been no word on the brother.
Police arrested the younger Gadhafi 15 July at a luxury hotel in Geneva after his former servants lodged a complaint against him and his wife. His pregnant wife was taken to a hospital.
Gadhafi was released on bail three days later and returned to Libya with his wife.
Zappelli said the bail of CHF 500,000 will be returned to Gadhafi because it was no longer needed to ensure he would appear at a possible trial.
[AP / Expatica]