The Swiss government paid one of the sons of Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi 1.5 million francs, the department of foreign affairs confirmed yesterday.The money was transferred in the name of Hannibal Gaddafi to a German bank following a dispute between Switzerland and Libya in the wake of his arrest at a Geneva hotel in July 2008.
Neither the Swiss nor the Libyans currently have access to the cash.
The payment was made in a bid to secure the release of Swiss businessman, Max Goeldi, who was held in Libya for two years.
Goeldi was detained after Libyan authorities reacted angrily to the publishing by the Swiss media of leaked mug shots of Hannibal Gaddafi, taken during his Geneva arrest.
Not true! The Swiss citizens were taken hostage in July of 2008, the mugshots were published in September of 2009.
Geneva police arrested him and his wife after receiving a complaint of mistreatment by domestic workers.
The Swiss agreed that the money would be unblocked in favor of Libya if the person responsible for having leaked the mug shots is not found by Geneva authorities.
There might be a connection to the nuclear standoff in 2009.