SAINT-BRIEUC, France: Niger has no plans to send ousted Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi's footballer son Saadi home to face justice, Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said Thursday on a visit to France.Earlier, the global police agency Interpol had issued a notice warning to its member states, which include Niger, that Libya is seeking Saadi's arrest for his alleged crimes while head of the country's football federation.
"Saadi Qaddafi is in safety, in security in Niamey, in the hands of the Niger government. There's no question of him being extradited to Libya for the moment," Rafini said in the western French town of Saint-Brieuc.
"We need to be sure he will be allowed a fair defense," he said. "Are those conditions in place today? No."
| How 'bout tomorrow? Next week? We'll keep asking... |
Interpol said in a statement that Saadi was wanted "for allegedly misappropriating properties through force and armed intimidation when he headed the Libyan Football Federation."
"As the commander of military units allegedly involved in the repression of demonstrations by civilians during LibyaÂ’s uprising, Saadi Qaddafi is also subject to a UN travel ban and assets freeze," it said.
Interpol has already issued red notices for Qaddafi and son Seif Al-Islam. Qaddafi's whereabouts are unknown. Libya's new rulers said Wednesday they believe he may be hiding in the southern desert under the protection of ethnic Tuareg fighters, while Seif Al-Islam and another son Mutassim are holed up in cities besieged by revolutionary forces elsewhere in Libya.
Another Qaddafi son is with his daughter Aisha and wife in neighboring Algeria — along with other family members — while Khamis Qaddafi, who leads the Khamis Brigade that fought in the west, was either killed in battle, or is still alive, depending on whom you talk to in Libya.
| If we were into wet work we could solve this problem. If we were Bulgarians and into wet work, we'd have a large supply of umbrellas... |