Libya highlights independence of court ruling on Gaddafi's son

TRIPOLI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan UN-backed government said on Monday that the court ruling on Saadi Gaddafi, son of late leader Muammar Gaddafi, was made with no interference from the government.

"The case of Saadi, son of Gaddafi, was handled by the Libyan judiciary and it has the jurisdiction to rule in this regard," Mohamed Al-Sallak, spokesman of the Libyan UN-backed government, told a press conference in the capital Tripoli.

"The Presidency Council (of the government) is working on the principle of separation of powers. The judiciary is completely independent from the executive authority," he noted.

On April 3, the Libyan northern Tripoli court acquitted Saadi of murder of the late football player Bashir al-Rayani, according to the Ministry of Justice.

But the court sentenced Saadi to one year in prison and fined him 500 dinars (400 U.S. dollars) for drinking and possession of alcohol.

The court also suspended the sentence for 5 years from the date of the verdict without criminal charges.

Saadi Gaddafi first appeared before the Tripoli appeals court in May 2015 on charges of involvement in the killing of al-Rayani in late 2005.

In September 2011, Saadi fled to Niger shortly before the fall of his father's regime.

Niger first granted him asylum for "humanitarian reasons," but handed Saadi over to Libya in 2014, according to the Libyan authorities.

Interpol issued a red note against Saadi in 2011 after the Transitional Council, which was formed shortly after the 2011 uprising broke out against the Gaddafi regime, accused him of "taking over property by force and intimidation" when serving as the president of the Libyan Football Federation.

Saadi is the third son of late Muammar Gaddafi. He served as the deputy commander of the security units under his father's regime. Enditem