Libya jails two Swiss businessmen for 16 months

Tripoli, December 02: Libya sentenced two Swiss businessmen to 16 months in prison and a fine on Tuesday, an official said, in a row stemming from the arrest in Geneva last year of Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi’s son.

“The two Swiss citizens have received a 16-month prison sentence and a fine of 2,000 dinars (1,100 euros) each,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

They were detained in Libya after Gathafi’s son Hannibal was arrested in July 2008 after two servants complained he had mistreated them in a Geneva hotel, sparking a diplomatic row between Bern and Tripoli.

—Agencies