Niger Court Request Kadhafi to Pay CFA 10m Franc Deposit for Libel Case

The Niamey appeal court has requested the Libyan leader to pay CFA 10 million francs as deposit before the opening of the libel case filed against Niger’s weekly L’Evènement, the paper’s counsel told APA Thursday.

The ruling of the court of appeal confirms the October 2007 decision of the Niamey court demanding the Libyan leader pays a deposit before hearing his complaint against l’Evènement.

“The trial should start as soon as the plaintiff (Kadhafi) pays the required amount within a 15 day timeframe,” the paper’s lawyer Kader Chaibou noted.

He said if the Libyan leader fails to meet the deadline, the procedure will be canceled.

The counsel recalled Niger’s criminal law provisions stating that a foreigner bringing a Niger national to court shall pay a deposit to possibly be used as compensation if needed.

Col. Kadhafi sued L’Evènement in August 2007 after the paper ran articles accusing him of backing the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) rebels, an armed group active in northern Niger.

In late October last year, the Niamey court demanded that Libya pay CFA 52 million prior to a trial, but the appeal court reduced it to 10 million CFA francs

Source African Press Agency

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