TRIPOLI — Saadi Qaddafi, son of Libya's late Muammar Qaddafi, who was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising, has been freed from jail, the Libyan National Unity Government said Sunday.

In a statement, the unity government said "Saadi Muammar Qaddafi has been freed from prison," in accordance with a court ruling handed down several years ago.

Qaddafi was free to stay in the country or leave, the court ruling added. The son fled to Niger following the uprising that toppled his father before being extradited back to Libya.

Several media reports on Sunday suggested Saadi had already taken a flight to Turkey.

"The chief prosecutor asked, several months ago, for the execution of the decision relating to Saadi Qaddafi as soon as all the required conditions had been satisfied," said a Justice Ministry source.

Saadi, 47, was known for his playboy lifestyle during his father's dictatorship.

A former professional footballer in Italy, Saadi had been held in a Tripoli prison, accused of crimes committed against protesters and of the 2005 killing of Libyan football coach Bashir Al-Rayani.

In April 2018, the court of appeal acquitted him of Rayani's murder.

Since the 2011 uprising, Libya has sunk into chaos, with an array of rulers and militias vying for power.

A 2020 ceasefire ended the factional fighting and paved the way for peace talks and the formation of a transitional government this March, ahead of elections set for December.

But preparations are marred by disputes over when to hold elections, what elections to hold and on what constitutional grounds.

Saadi was the third son of the flamboyant colonel who took power after a bloodless coup in 1969. — Agencies