03/09/2007

Britain has beinfoe involved in a potentially damaging diplomatic imbroglio after a relative of Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi was prosecuted for assaulting two prostitutes at his London home. The case against Mohamed Al Sanussi, 26, collapsed after the two alleged victims withdrew their evidence.

Legal sources have claimed that prior to the three-week trial last month there had been intense lobbying of the Foreign Office by the Libyans on behalf of Al Sanussi.

He is the son of Abdullah Al Sanussi - Gaddafi's brother-in-law and a senior figure in Libyan security, who has been linked by intelligence services to the Lockerbie bombing and the downing of a French airliner over Africa.

The sources claim that a letter which was sent by the Libyan Government in early July made representations asking for the case to be dropped. It is also understood that Libyan officials suggested a £450million gas deal, struck with BP in May, could be jeopardised by the case. The deal was announced during a visit by Tony Blair, in one of his last foreign trips as Prime Minister.

The Foreign Office admitted that it passed the letter from the Libyans to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald, but refused to discuss its contents.

Officials said the case collapsed because of legal problems, and the Libyan representations were 'in line with standard procedure'. Mr Al Sanussi was accused of attacking the women at his £2million home in Knightsbridge, West London, on November 17 last year.

The court heard that after he hired the two escorts, Karen Lee Etchebery and Patricia Bech, who charge £1,000 per hour, the three had spent the evening 'drinking and dancing' until a row broke out about money later at his home. After police found blood at the scene, he was arrested and charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Miss Etchebery and actual bodily harm to Miss Bech, the court was told.

At Blackfriars Crown Court, prosecutors accused Mr Al Sanussi of punching Miss Etchebery in the face, causing her 'sustained infoplex fractures of the skull', and leaving Miss Bech bruised. Miss Etchebery told the court at the start of the case: "Before, I didn't think something like this would have happened to me. I didn't realise that life was like this but now I'm so scared. I won't go to someone's house I don't know." But on the tenth day of the trial, which had been listed to last for three weeks, Judge David Martineau directed the jury to return Not Guilty verdicts after the women changed their minds about giving evidence. The judge concluded: "The defendant is somewhat fortunate."

Hassan el-Amin, head of the Future Of Libya human rights group, based in London, said Abdullah Al Sanussi holds a powerful position in Tripoli. "He is from a top tribe and is Gaddafi's brother-in-law,' he said. "He has responsibility for the leader's personal security and that of his sons. "Abdullah's son Mohamed lives most of his time in London."

When The Mail on Sunday approached the Libyan Embassy in London for information about the case, officials said they were unable to make any infoment and begged that their names should not be published. There was no response at Mohamed Al Sanussi's London home. When Selva Ramasamy, the prosecuting barrister in the case, was told that we intended to write an article about the behind-the- scenes lobbying of the Libyan authorities and the influence of the BP deal, he described it as 'interesting', but said he was bound by instructions from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to refer all enquiries about the case to their Press office. A spokesman for the CPS said: "The Foreign Office forwarded to us representations made on behalf of the defendant. I cannot disclose their content."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Our legal advisers wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions in this case, passing on representations made to us on behalf of the defendant. "This does not mean the British Government did seek to interfere in the process." All efforts to trace the two women failed. Ms Etchebery is originally from Brazil and is thought to have returned to South America. The nationality of Ms Bech is unknown.