The trial of Saif al-Islam, the son of Colonel Gaddafi, has been pushed back after Libyan authorities announced they would be seeking new information for his prosecution, following the arrest of Gaddafi's former spy chief.
The trial was scheduled to take place in the Libyan city of Zultan after the International Criminal Court's request to try Saif at the Hague for war crimes was rejected. Following al-Senussi's extradition from Mauritania earlier this year, Libyan prosecutors now state that they need more time to collect evidence against Saif with prosecutor Milad al-Zintani saying,
“We were ready to try Saif al-Islam this month but after bringing back Senussi to Libya, new information will come to light which will delay the trial for at least five months,”
The announcement comes as the ICC and Libyan Council on Freedom and Human Rights continued to raise concerns that Saif al-Islam may not receive a fair trial, stating that steps to ensure fair treatment has been bypassed.
The former spy chief Buzeid Dorda has already appeared on trial with former foreign minister Abdel-Ati al-Obeidi and former secretary general of the General People’s Congress Mohammed Zwai due to also appear in court Monday.
