Holder of Libya Secrets Fears for Life after Gadhafi Death

Libyan ex-prime minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, held in a Tunisian prison, fears for his life as the sole holder of Libyan state secrets since Moammar Gadhafi’s death, his lawyer said Monday.

"After the death of Moamnar Gadhafi, he became the only one to hold the secrets of the Libyan state, and has become valuable prey for the secret service," lawyer Mabrouk Kurchid told a news conference in Tunis.

"Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi is appealing for help because he fears for his life. There is an attempt to influence Tunisian justice" by the Libyan authorities, Kurchid said.

Mahmoudi, Libya's premier until the final days of Gadhafi’s regime, was arrested on September 21 on Tunisia's southwestern border with Algeria under a warrant from the new authorities in Tripoli.

A Tunisian court swiftly sentenced the 70-year-old to six months in prison after finding him guilty of illegal entry, but that decision was overruled on appeal.

The new Libyan authorities who toppled Gadhafi have sought Mahmoudi's extradition, for which a hearing has been scheduled on November 22.

Despite a provisional release granted last Thursday by a Tunisian court, Mahmoudi remains behind bars, his lawyer said.

"I am concerned by my client's health, which is deteriorating," he said of Mahmoudi, who briefly went on a hunger strike in late September.

Tunisia's justice ministry said Mahmoudi was kept behind bars following a second extradition request filed by the interim authorities in Tunis on October 27.

A ministry spokesman told Agence France Presse that the two countries are bound by a 1961 agreement which includes provisions on extradition.

Tunisia in August recognized Libya's National Transitional Council as the country's new authority and has committed itself to cooperation on security issues.