Roadblocks begin to be placed in way of Gaddafi son standing for Libyan president

Libya’s military prosecutor, Mohamed Gharouda, has asked the electoral body to halt processing the paperwork for the presidential candidacy of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the country’s late ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

The prosecutor also asked that the paperwork for warlord Khalifa Haftar – who is also seeking the presidency – be suspended.

The electoral commission on Sunday said that Mr Gaddafi had submitted the necessary documents as a presidential candidate in the elections set for next month.

But in a letter to the electoral commission, Mr Gharouda warned that the commission would be held responsible for consequences if the processing of the paperwork was not halted.

"Saif al-Islam and Khalifa Haftar have been accused of criminal acts" and their presidential bids "must be halted until the investigation is completed", the military attorney-general’s office says in a letter.

The registration of Mr Gaddafi's candidacy, although expected, has jolted people in Libya and abroad for his role in the brutal crackdown of the uprising against his father’s rule.

He is still wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes committed in 2011.

Mr Haftar, who leads forces in eastern Libya, is wanted by a US court for allegedly torturing Libyans during the war.

Source: BBC