The family of a Swiss citizen held in Libya for two years spoke of their joy Monday at his return home hours after Tripoli and Bern signed an agreement to end their bitter dispute over the arrest of Moammar Gadhafi's son. Max Goeldi arrived in Zurich aboard a Spanish military plane along with Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, who had flown to Libya on Sunday with her Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos to secure the businessman's release. “Our joy is indescribable now that the long waiting, worrying and hoping has come to an end,” Goeldi's family said in a statement. Switzerland paid $1.5 million for mistreating Hannibal Gadhafi during his arrest in Geneva in 2008 and apologized for the publication of mugshots of the Libyan leader's son that led Tripoli to escalate its demands on the Alpine nation Daniel Graf, a spokesman for Amnesty International, said he was “very relieved” by the release. The group had campaigned for the release of Goeldi and fellow Swiss citizen Rachid Hamdani, describing their prosecution by Libya as politically motivated. Hamdani was acquitted in February and allowed to leave Libya, while Goeldi was sentenced to four months in prison for violating residency laws and operating a business illegally. Goeldi's employer, the Swiss-Swedish engineering company ABB, said in a statement it was “happy for him and his family, and grateful to all those who worked so hard for his release.” Goeldi and Hamdani were detained in 2008, days after Hannibal Gadhafi and his wife were arrested for allegedly beating their servants in a Swiss luxury hotel. The Gadhafis were released without charge but Libya's anger at the arrest quickly escalated. It suspended visas for Swiss citizens, withdrew funds from Swiss banks, stopped oil shipments and reduced flights to Switzerland.
