Western mercenaries and businessmen have reportedly swindled Khalifa Haftar out of tens of millions of dollars for military hardware and services not delivered. The revelations come as General Haftar's self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) suffered a stunning defeat in his ill-fated offensive to take Tripoli from forces loyal to the internationally recognised Government of […]
Tag Archives | Fraud
Ex-SNC-Lavalin Exec Jailed for Libya Fraud
By John Lee. A former executive at the Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison in relation to fraud and corruption in Libya. According to The Canadian Press, Sami Bebawi (73) had been found guilty of paying kickbacks to officials and pocketing millions as he worked to […]
Former SNC-Lavalin VP found Guilty
By John Lee. Former SNC-Lavalin vice-president Sami Bebawi has been found guilty of corruption in relation to contracts for the Canadian engineering company in Libya. According to Bloomberg, a jury found Bebawi (73) guilty of five charges including fraud, corruption of foreign officials, and laundering proceeds of crime. The case follows an investigation by Canadian […]
From Militias to Mafias - Tripoli’s Militia Cartels
A new research paper from the Berlin-based Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) says that a handful of local militias have gradually brought much of Tripoli under their control growing into criminal networks straddling business, politics, and the administration. Author Wolfram Lacher (pictured) adds that the pillaging of state funds now benefits a narrower group than at […]
UK Investigator Seeks Libya Files From SocGen
By John Lee. The UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has reportedly sought documents from Societe Generale (SocGen) regarding its relationship with the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA). Last week, the French banking giant agreed to pay 963 million euros ($1.1 billion) as part of the agreement between the two companies to resolve all matters between them concerning […]
Rada arrests Mellitah Execs in Fraud Probe
Libya Herald reports that four senior executives from Mellitah Oil and Gas have been detained in Tripoli over an alleged fraud involving the new $425-million GAZA Floating, Storage, Offloading Marine Terminal (FSO) (pictured) at Bouri Offshore Field. They were detained by the Rada Deterrence Force, which alleges that they abused their authority and wasted public […]
Audit Bureau bans Companies, Freezes Bank Accounts
By John Lee. The Tripoli-based Libyan Audit Bureau has reportedly banned 10 Libyan and 13 foreign companies from dealing with Libya, and has frozen the accounts of companies to the value of Euro 37 million and $12 million. The move relates to money smuggling, facilitated by opening Letters of Credit (LCs) in favour of foreign […]
Audit Bureau Freezes Bank Accounts
The Tripoli-based Libyan Audit Bureau has frozen the bank accounts of 160 companies and individuals. According to a report from Libya Herald, they are accused of smuggling foreign currency, falsifying official documents and evading customs duties, and in addition to having their existing accounts frozen, they are prohibited from opening new bank accounts without the […]