The Libyan PM came for millions in frozen deposits… but left empty-handed
Officially, Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah visited Malta last month to hold talks on energy and business cooperation but he was also hoping to negotiate the release of millions of euros in frozen deposits. Libyan banks.
Government sources said that he was “disappointed” when Prime Minister Robert Abela rejected him privately.
It is understood that Dbeibah was particularly interested in securing Libyan money once held at the now closed Satabank, which was not approved for release.
Sources said that Dbeibah requested that the Satabank funds, amounting to more than €10 million, be returned during a tete-a-tete with Abela on August 31.
The former bank of San Điljan is being liquidated and its clients’ funds are being kept in the Central Bank of Malta. Funds are being gradually returned to depositors but not where there are red flags or suspicion of impropriety.
Dbeibah traveled to Malta together with the governor of the central bank of Tripoli, Al-Siddiq Al-Kabir who also had a separate meeting with his Maltese counterpart, Edward Scicluna.
Sources said that the Libyan premier was not only interested in Satabank’s funds. In June, a Maltese Court ordered the Bank of Valletta to return over €90 million linked to the heirs of the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.
The Maltese authorities had also seized $1.1 billion in parallel Libyan currency, printed in Russia. Two containers of 2,000 cubic feet packed full of the internationally unrecognized currency were discovered at Malta Customs and, to date, have not been released.
When responding to questions, a government spokesman said: “There was no discussion about any particular bank or financial institution. However, there were talks about outstanding payments owed to Maltese commercial institutions, including in the health care sector, as well as funds that are currently held in financial institutions for various reasons – including sanctions.”
She added that the decision whether to release the funds or not is not up to the government. The government, she said, “remains committed to respecting the decisions taken by multilateral institutions”.
Difficult time for Libya
Dbeibah’s visit to Malta took place during a tumultuous time in Libya.
War-torn Libya has two governments: the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), which is based in Tripoli in the west, and the Interim Government, which is based in Bayda in the east.
Clashes between supporters of rival Libyan governments have killed at least 32 people and raised fears of a major new conflict in recent days.
Armed groups exchanged fire that damaged several hospitals and set fire to buildings after months of rising tensions between Dbeibah’s supporters and his rival, Fathi Bashagha, whose two administrations are vying for control. of the oil-rich North African country.
The Dbeibah administration was installed in Tripoli as part of a peace process led by the United Nations last year. Bashagha was appointed by the parliament based in eastern Libya earlier this year.
Libya descended into chaos after the overthrow and assassination of dictator Gaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed uprising, with a host of armed groups and foreign powers stepping in to fill the power vacuum. .
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