In a beachfront home in Tripoli, CNN uncovered a veritable den of iniquities where Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s son Hannibal and his wife, the former Lebanese model, Aline Skaf, lived in excess. In addition to the typical tacky millionaire fare like hot tubs, stereo equipment, and cases of Laurent Perrier pink champagne (despite alcohol being supposedly banned in Qaddafi’s Libya), raiding rebels and the press discovered a nanny, Shweyga Mullah, who cared for Hannibal’s young son and daughter. Mullah says she was beaten, starved, and repeatedly burned at the hands of Skaf, Hannibal’s unforgiving wife:
“She took me to a bathroom. She tied my hands behind my back, and tied my feet. She taped my mouth, and she started pouring the boiling water on my head like this,” she said, imitating the vessel of scalding hot water being poured over her head.
Hannibal’s own playboy reputation precedes him. He’s been known to party with pop stars, drive Porches, and prefer the swankiest of hotels. On Christmas day of 2010, he allegedly attacked Skaf in a London hotel, breaking her nose, though she later told police she had fallen. Hannibal was also arrested in 2005, after reportedly punching Skaf and waving a handgun at her while she was eight months pregnant. Together, the pair were previously charged with beating servants in Geneva.
But it’s CNN’s video interview with the abused servant that’s truly horrifying, her entire scalp and body covered in a combination of burn scars and fresh wounds. Be warned: it is extremely graphic.
