The International Criminal Court completed on Tuesday hearing the defense of Saif al-Islam, son of the late Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi, in his request for an appeal of charges against him.
The hearing was attended by Justice Minister Mohamed Lamloum from the Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj.
The court in The Hague granted sufficient time to the defense and prosecution to present their arguments. It will later issue its ruling on the appeal.
Lamloum spoke about the general amnesty law in Libya, saying it does not apply to Saif al-Islam’s case. This stance is contested by Gaddafi supporters.
ICC general prosecutor Fatou Bensouda had renewed in a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council a demand that Libya arrest Saif al-Islam and turn him over to the court where he can be tried for “war crimes”.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Lamloum defended the Libyan judiciary, saying it is facing challenges that are preventing it from arresting the suspects.
The judiciary had issued sentences against suspects, charged with committing serious crimes, he said. None of the suspects, including Saif al-Islam, attended any of the hearings.
The minister added that these sentences are preliminary and cannot be implemented even if the suspects are arrested. A retrial would be held when they are apprehended.
