Libya Begins Trial of Ex-Gadhafi Officials, Sons Absent
Local Editor
Libyan prosecutors opened the trial of the sons of ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi and former regime officials in Libya, with the absence of the two sons, according to Reuters on Monday.
Neither one of Gadhafi's sons, Saadi Gadhafi and Saif al-Islam, was present at the trial in the courtroom at Tripoli's Al-Hadba prison, but Gadhafi's ex-spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi was among the former officials present, Reuters said.
Chief investigator in the case, Sidiq al-Sour, said Saadi would not appear in court on Monday, because investigations were still ongoing, but procedures would continue against the others.
"Saadi will not be showing up today, and they will take a decision on Saif al-Islam on whether his case will be an open or closed session," he told Reuters by telephone.
Senussi was joined in the court by Gadhafi's former prime minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, former foreign minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, and ex-intelligence chief Buzeid Dorda.
The men face charges ranging from corruption to war crimes related to the deaths during the 2011 uprising, in which Gadhafi was eventually ousted.
Libya's justice minister insisted that the trial was open to the public who would ensure the process was fair and not turn into a "Mickey Mouse" show trial.
"I will not allow any crazy stuff, I will make sure it meets international standards ... that is why we are having open trials," Salah al-Merghani, the justice minister told Reuters.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
