JURIST - Paper Chase: Tunisia courts to review extradition of ex-Libya prime minister

[JURIST] Tunisian courts will review a request for the extradition of former Libyan prime minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi placed by the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) [official website] on November 8, according to a statement made Wednesday by al-Mahmoudi's lawyer Mabrouk Kourchid. Al-Mahmoudi has been held in Tunisia since September when he was detained [JURIST report] while attempting to illegally enter Tunisia. Reports indicate that al-Mahmoudi fears for his safety [AFP report] and claims to be the sole possessor of Libyan state secrets following the death [JURIST report] of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi [BBC obituary; JURIST news archive] in October.

This report comes as the Libya conflict [JURIST backgrounder] appears to be drawing to a close after the interim Libyan prime minister declared the country's liberation [JURIST report] following Gaddafi's death. There have been numerous efforts by Libyan and international courts to investigate various members of the Gaddafi regime. Earlier in the summer, the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] had issued an arrest warrant [JURIST report] for Gaddafi for crimes against humanity, although some commentators suggested that Gaddafi should face trial in Libya [JURIST op-ed]. Last week, Gaddfi's son and former intelligent director were reportedly seeking to turn themselves in to the ICC [JURIST report], although they have yet to do so.