There are growing calls for the extradition from Mauritania of Brigadier Gen. Abdullah al-Senussi, the former intelligence chief of the late Libyan Leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, who was arrested at Nouakchott Airport on Friday March 16, 2012. The former spy chief was said to have been travelling on a false passport from Casablanca, Morocco.
The AFP news agency cited Libya’s Vice-Premier, Mustafa Abu Shagur who arrived in Mauritania on Monday to press for the extradition as saying his country was determined to get al-Senussi back to stand trial in Libya on alleged crimes against the people. Since the arrest, Mauritania has received a flurry of extradition requests, with France and the International Criminal Court, ICC in The Hague, The Netherlands, all keen on prosecuting Gaddafi’s brother in-law and former right-hand man. Amnesty International said on Saturday that Senussi should be tried by the ICC because of the absence of a functioning judiciary in Libya.
Interpol has issued a so-called ‘red notice’ for al-Senussi on behalf of Libya for alleged fraud offences, including embezzlement of public funds and misuse of power for personal benefit.
According to the BBC, he is also being sought by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity while France wants to extradite him in connection with a bomb attack on a plane in 1989 in Chad.
However, Mauritania has not yet provided any evidence of the former spy chief’s arrest. It is believed that he is in the custody of the intelligence agency. The country is not party to the treaty that set up the ICC and officials say they want to carry out their own investigations before considering any extradition requests. A Mauritanian legal expert, Brahim Ould Ebetty, warned that extradition requests would have to be examined by a court and a final decision could take some time if due process is observed.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for al-Senussi on June 27, 2011, alleging that he was an indirect perpetrator of crimes against humanity reportedly committed in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. He could also be held accountable in Libya for the Abu Salim prison massacre in the capital, Tripoli in 1996 when more than 1,000 detainees were reportedly gunned down.
