Libya’s chief prosecutor seeks arrest of oil minister amid corruption allegations

Libya’s top prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for Khalifa Abdul Sadiq, the country’s oil minister, and his office director, citing actions “inconsistent with their job duties,” according to a statement reported by the Libya Observer. 

The allegations involve an attempt to pressure an accountant into approving a document authorizing the disposal of approximately $500 million to benefit a foreign company, in violation of existing legislation.

Earlier this year, former oil minister Mohamed Oun was suspended for two months amid a misconduct investigation. During his suspension, Khalifa Abdul Sadiq was appointed as acting minister, and although Oun was later cleared and reinstated, recent press releases still referred to Sadiq as the minister. 

Oun himself stated last month that he was not working, claiming he had been pushed out by the prime minister, according to Bloomberg.  

The official Facebook page of the oil ministry published a statement by Oun warning of the repercussions of having two oil ministers, according to the Libya Observer. He reportedly said international companies including U.S. oil drilling giant, Schlumberger, were threatening to withdraw their business. 

This incident marks the latest in a series of energy-related scandals in Libya, a country that holds Africa’s largest oil reserves.