BEIRUT: The Judicial Council postponed its verdict for a second time Friday in a case against toppled leader Moammar Gadhafi and a number of his aides over the disappearance of Lebanese Shiite cleric Imam Musa Sadr, pending official confirmation of the Libyan ruler’s death. The session was adjourned until Nov. 16, 2012.

Last November, after the killing of Gadhafi was reported, the council delayed its verdict “in the interest of preserving the course of justice” and requested that Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry confirm the death of Gadhafi with an official document.

Friday’s session was adjourned for the same reason, as the Foreign Ministry has yet to reply to the request.

In 2008, Lebanon issued an arrest warrant for Gadhafi and six others over Sadr’s disappearance, and in 2009 the Judicial Council indicted Gadhafi and 16 of his aides, accusing them of provoking civil war and inciting sectarian tension in Lebanon.

Ties between Libya and Lebanon have been cold ever since Sadr disappeared in 1978 during a trip to Libya.

Following a Friday meeting between Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and Libyan Justice Minister Ali Ashour, who is on an official visit, Ashour said there was “nothing new” in the investigation into Sadr’s disappearance.

According to the El-Nashra website, Ashour said in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV that it was likely that Sadr had spent many years in Libya’s notorious Abu Salim Prison.

Ashour added that it was also likely that Sadr had not been killed immediately after he disappeared in Libya, saying investigations were ongoing.

“Since 1997 there has been no information on Sadr ... items of clothing were recovered by the prosecutor’s office from Abu Salim prison and samples were taken to find out whether the clothes belonged to Sadr,” Ashour said.

“DNA was taken from some bodies for comparison, but there are no results yet,” Ashour said.