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Tripoli, 13 June 2013:
A court in Tripoli has once again adjourned the trial of Qaddafi’s last prime minister, Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi, and . . .[restrict]those charged with him – Al-Mabrouk Zamhoul and Amer Tirfas – this time to 7 August.
The court agreed to the delay following a request from Tirfas’ defence laywer who had recently been appointed and needed of time to review the case.
The three are facing charges of having taken actions leading to the murder of Libyan citizens and of embezzlement, in particular transferring €15 million to private accounts in Tunisia to pay for logistic support for the former regime, along with other accusations of financial and administrative irregularities.
Mahmoudi, who was wearing blue prison clothes in court, faces separate charges including association with criminal groups and incitement to rape. They are not being examined in the present case.
Zahmoul and Tirfas are said to have been senior officials in an investment company run by Seif Al-Islam.
Speaking after the adjournment, prosecution spokesman Sadiq Al-Sur was quoted as saying that “three to four billion Libyan dinars were used by the accused during the insurrection to corrupt politicians, both at home and abroad, in order to gain their support for the regime”.
Attending the trial were representatives from the Tunisian Ministry of Human Rights and Justice and the Tunisian Leage for Human. “We’re here on our own initiative to see, first hand, if he is getting a fair trial,” said Chekib Derouich, spokesman for the Tunisian ministry. He added: “The fact that the trial is open to the public and the press indicates a strong desire to give Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi a fair trial.”
Mahmoudi’s delivery to Libya by the Tunisian government almost a year ago caused a major row in Tunisia with human rights groups there saying he would not have a fair trial. [/restrict]
