Libya says 2 Swiss businessmen sentenced to 16 months prison, $1,500 fine, for visa violations

Libya sentences Swiss businessmen to 16 months

TRIPOLI, Libya — A Libyan official says a court has convicted two Swiss businessmen of violating residency and labor laws and sentenced them to 16 months in jail and a $1,500 fine.

The two were detained in July 2008 on alleged visa violations — days after Swiss police arrested Hannibal Gadhafi and his wife for allegedly beating up their servants in a Geneva luxury hotel.

The official said the two were tried by a court in Tripoli. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The businessmen — identified as Max Goeldi and Rachid Hamdani — were handed over to the Swiss embassy in Tripoli earlier in November, triggering expectations they would be released and allowed to return home.