Swiss businessman leaves Libya, other still in jail

A Swiss businessman barred from leaving Libya for 19 months has finally left the country, Switzerland's foreign ministry said today, saying its efforts now focused on the jailed local head of Swiss group ABB.

The two executives have been at the centre of a dispute that began with a row between Berne and Tripoli, but which has blown up to drag in most members of the European Union, threatening their booming business ties with Libya.

The men left the shelter of the Swiss embassy in Tripoli yesterday after Libyan police surrounded the building, apparently avoiding a major confrontation. EU member Austria later said Libyan authorities had threatened to storm the embassy if the pair who had been holed up there did not come out.

In a brief statement the foreign ministry confirmed that the first businessman, Rachid Hamdani, had left Libya, adding: "We are happy along with his family at this development."

It gave no details of his whereabouts but Hamdani's lawyer said on Monday that he had gone to Tunisia, where he also holds citizenship.

"I can confirm to you that he has left Libya, he is safe. But I won't confirm anything about Tunisia," his wife Bruna Hamdani told Swiss radio on Tuesday.

A safe return of Max Goeldi, who headed the Libyan operations of electrical engineering firm ABB, was at the "centre of our efforts", the ministry said.

Goeldi was driven off on Monday to start serving a four-month prison sentence for immigration violations. Libyan officials had indicated previously that Hamdani would be allowed to leave the country because he was acquitted of all charges.

Both men had been barred from leaving Libya since July 2008 after Geneva police angered Tripoli by arresting a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on charges -- later dropped -- of abusing domestic staff. Libya denies any link between the two cases.

The diplomatic row became pan-European last week when Tripoli said it would stop issuing entry visas to most EU citizens, in retaliation for a Swiss imposition of visa restrictions on some Libyans.

Much is at stake as Libya, a major oil producer, has been attracting billions of dollars in foreign investment since it emerged from decades of international isolation, with European companies vying for much of the business.

Swiss media showed a resigned Goeldi handcuffed in the back of the Libyan car on his way to prison on Monday.

"ABB confirms that Max Goeldi has reported to prison. We hope that this situation will be resolved as soon as possible," Goeldi's employer said in a statement.

Goeldi's family said in a separate statement that it was confident that a solution would be found shortly to enable him to return home. "In the meantime, we wish Max much strength."