UK pays £2.2m compensation to Libyan after key role in his illegal rendition A Libyan dissident who claimed Mi6 played a key role in his rendition to Tripoli where he was tortured and imprisoned by the Gaddafi regime has agreed to a £2.2m payout from the British government. Sami al-Saadi, who claims he, his wife and four children, were forcibly returned from Hong Kong to Libya with the help of British agents, said he was accepting compensation because his family "had suffered enough." The settlement is similar to the multi-million pound payout that was made by the Government to British inmates at Guantanamo Bay to avoid a lengthy and potentially embarrassing open court case which could have revealed the level of British intelligence's cooperation, and even collusion, with despotic regimes. Although al-Saadi has accepted compensation - which under the terms of the settlement the Government has not admitted liability - a second Libyan dissident, Abdul Hakim Belhaj, has vowed to continue with his legal challenge. Belhaj, an Islamist dissident who claims he was sent with his pregnant wife from Thailand to Libya, became commander in the revolutionary forces that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and has since become an influential politician. The continuation of his legal battle could shed light on the role Mi6 played with Gaddafi's government following the 2004 "deal in the desert" that the then Prime Minister Tony Blair made. The deal brought the Libyan dictator in from the cold and got Gaddafi to abandon his WMD programme in return for investment and help in tracking down Islamist opponents of his regime. Belhaj is suing the former Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, and a former senior MI6 official, Sir Mark Allen, as part of his action. Both deny any wrongdoing. Papers found in the office of Gaddafi's former spy-chief Moussa Kousa suggested US and British intelligence colluded in the rendition of both al-Saadi and Belhaj. CIA correspondence discussing al-Saadi's upcoming rendition stated: "We are ... aware that your service had been co-operating with the British to effect [al-Saadi's] removal to Tripoli ... the Hong Kong government may be able to co-ordinate with you to render [al-Saadi] and his family into your custody." A letter from Mi6"s then head of counter terrorism Sir Mark Allen referred to Belhaj's rendition. I congratulate you on the safe arrival of [Belhaj]. This was the least we could do for you and for Libya," the letter read. I know I did not pay for the air cargo [but] the intelligence [on him] was British. Both men were involved in various Islamist opposition groups that were fighting Gaddafi, some of which had links to international jihadist networks. In a statement issued by his solicitors, Mr al-Saadi explained why he had accepted a pay-out. [My children] will now have the chance to complete their education in the new, free Libya,2 he said. I will be able to afford the medical care I need because of the injuries I suffered in prison. I started this process believing that a British trial would get to the truth in my case. But today, with the government trying to push through secret courts, I feel that to proceed is not best for my family. He added: "I went through a secret trial once before, in Gaddafi's Libya. In many ways, it was as bad as the torture. It is not an experience I care to repeat. Even now, the British government has never given an answer to the simple question: Were you involved in the kidnap of me, my wife and my children? In a statement, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We can confirm that the government and the other defendants have reached a settlement with the claimants. There has been no admission of liability and no finding by any court of liability. Sapna Malik, solicitor for the al-Saadi family at law firm Leigh Day, said: "The sheer terror experienced by the al-Saadi family when they were bundled on to their rendition flight and delivered up to their nemesis clearly lives with them all to this day. Having concluded one part of their quest for justice, they now look to the British criminal courts to hold those responsible for their ordeal to account and await the judge-led inquiry they have been promised. Responding to the announcement of the settlement with the al Saadi family Jack Straw said: "At all times I was scrupulous in seeking to carry out my duties in accordance with the law, and I hope to be able to say much more about all this at an appropriate stage in the future." Prime Minister David Cameron initially promised a judge-led inquiry into allegations against British intelligence but the probe has since been scrapped. The Government has promised to initiate a new inquiry once police have finished investigating the Libyan rendition allegations.