Servants drop charges in Hannibal Kadhafi case: lawyer (AFP)
25 minutes ago
GENEVA (AFP) - Two servants who accused the son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi of mistreating them in a Geneva hotel have dropped their legal complaints against him and his wife, their Swiss lawyer said Tuesday.
"In a free, considered and informed manner, my clients have decided to withdraw the legal complaint that they filed," said lawyer Francois Membrez.
Hannibal Kadhafi was arrested in July along with his wife Aline at a luxury hotel in the lakeside city after the servants -- a Moroccan and a Tunisian -- alleged they had been abused by the couple.
The Kadhafis denied the allegations and Libya demanded a Swiss apology.
In a statement, Geneva-based Membrez said the two servants, who no longer work for the couple, have been "properly compensated," although he gave no specific figures.
"They have been recognised as victims and their sufferings have been taken into account," the lawyer added.
"They have also received a temporary humanitarian residence permit in Switzerland."
The judge in charge of the case, Michel Graber, said that the complaint had been withdrawn at the end of last week.
He said he had held personal interviews with both plaintiffs to make sure their decision had been "free and considered".
The case angered Libya, which restricted air links, stopped issuing visas to Swiss nationals, shut the Tripoli offices of major Swiss companies ABB and Nestle and detained two Swiss nationals -- who were subsequently released.
Geneva's public prosecutor last month denied there had been any political pressure on his office over its handling of the case.
The public prosecutor's office had not been subject to any pressure from either the foreign ministry or the Swiss missions of any international organisation, said Daniel Zappelli.
"The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs had strictly respected the independence of the judiciary," he said.
Membrez last month accused Libya of holding the brother and mother of the Moroccan servant "hostage" over the affair.
The mother has since been released, but on Tuesday Membrez said there was still no news of the brother, adding that he would take the case to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
Libyan oil company Tamoil in Colombey-le-Grand, Switzerland. Two servants who accused the son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi of mistreating them in a Geneva hotel have dropped their legal complaints against him and his wife, their Swiss lawyer said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Fabrice Coffrini)" class="newsimage" />