Tripoli, June 11: Swiss businessman Max Goeldi, jailed in Libya nearly four months ago for visa offences in a diplomatic row involving the son of Moamer Gathafi, was freed on Thursday, his lawyer Salah Zahaf said.
“He was released today and is currently in a hotel in Tripoli,” Zahaf said. “We are completing the administrative procedures so he can leave the country.”
Zahaf added that his client could return to Switzerland on “Saturday or at the latest on Sunday.”
Goeldi was released two days earlier than expected. Zahaf had said that Goeldi would be freed on June 12, the day on which he would have completed his prison term.
Libya detained and tried Goeldi after the brief arrest in Geneva of a son of the Libyan leader in July 2008.
In March, Zahaf argued that the 53 days which Goeldi had already spent in prison since his arrest should be taken into account, bringing forward the date of his release.
Police had not followed the proper procedures when Goeldi and another Swiss national, Rashid Hamdani, were arrested in the diplomatic row that erupted after the brief arrest in Geneva of Hannibal Gathafi, Zahaf had said.
Hannibal and his pregnant wife were detained by Swiss police after two of their domestic staff charged they had been mistreated by the couple at a Geneva hotel.
Goeldi and Hamdani were held for 53 days and then released, but were then barred from leaving the country.
Hamdani was finally allowed to leave in February, while Goeldi, a representative of Swiss company ABB in Libya, was sentenced to four months in jail for overstaying his visa.
In March, Libya and the European Union lifted travel bans that were imposed in the wake of the diplomatic row.
Following Hannibal’s arrest, Tripoli halted oil deliveries to Switzerland, withdrew its funds from Swiss banks and expelled Swiss companies doing business in Libya.
It also demanded that those responsible for Hannibal’s arrest be put on trial.
The dispute escalated when Libya detained the two Swiss businessmen.
Switzerland hit back by issuing a blacklist containing the names of 188 prominent Libyans, including Gathafi and members of his family, banning them from entering the Schengen zone which groups 22 European Union nations plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
Libya retaliated by banning citizens from the 25-member Schengen zone from travelling to the north African country.
The row also saw the Libyan leader declare jihad, or holy war, against Berne in late February and call for an economic boycott of Swiss goods. On March 3 Libya said it would impose a total economic embargo on Switzerland.
In May, a Swiss court ruled in favour of Hannibal in a case against the canton of Geneva and a newspaper over leaked police mugshots taken when he was arrested.
But it refused to grant damages sought by Hannibal of 100,000 francs (69,500 euros, 95,500 dollars).
—-Agencies