A number of demonstrators stormed the headquarters of the House of Representatives in Tobruk and burned tires in front of it, and demanded the dissolution of Parliament.
According to eyewitnesses, all documents were also taken out in the administrative offices and thrown in front of the House of Representatives headquarters.
Today, Thursday, June 30, 2022, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sanalla, held a meeting with the Chairman of the Operator Management Committee of Mabruk Oil Operations Company, Abdul Baset Al-Rifai, and the General Manager of the project to restore Mabruk field, Mesbah Abu Al-Khair.
The meeting discussed the latest developments in the completed work related to the project to rehabilitate Mabruk field, which was subjected to terrorist attacks in 2015.
The Corporation officials also reviewed the difficulties they faced, and the latest findings in the field development and rehabilitation project, and that it will return to production in the first quarter of 2023 at rates of up to 25,000 barrels per day after a stoppage of more than 7 years.
Al-Rifai said that a study conducted by the National Construction Company for the technical evaluation of all equipment and materials in the Mabrouk field, based on the instructions of the Corporation’s senior management, concluded that the losses amounted to 575 million dollars.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Medical Centers Affairs, Tawfiq Al-Darsi, met today, Thursday, with representatives of a number of international Japanese companies specialized in the field of manufacturing medicines and medical devices, in the presence of Counselor Salah Abu Khris Karra, representing the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Libya.
The meeting discussed the mechanisms of cooperation in providing the latest therapeutic devices to oncology patients using Radioactive Material technologies, which can attack cancer cells while maintaining the integrity of muscle and tissue mass inside the patient’s body.
This is in addition to ways of cooperation in the field of supplying specialized medicines, especially those related to the treatment of oncology and neurology patients. Mr. Al-Wakeel indicated the Ministry’s keenness to deal with international Japanese companies that manufacture medicines, given the Japanese pharmaceutical market’s characteristics of manufacturing high-quality pharmaceutical drugs and its commitment to the highest standards of quality assurance all over the world.
It was also agreed to send a team of experts and consultants specialized in treating oncology patients in Libya to Japan, who are well experienced in technology, to evaluate the devices and ensure that they conform to the required specifications.
The National Oil Corporation confirmed the declaration of force majeure, after the expiry of 72 hours and the loss of more than 16 billion Libyan dinars.
In this regard, Sanalla commented: “Our patience has run out after we have repeatedly tried to avoid declaring a state of force majeure. However, the implementation of our obligations has become impossible. We are compelled to declare a state of force majeure on the ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf in addition to Al-Feel field as the force majeure situation continues in Brega and Zueitina ports.”
The Corporation added that according to this announcement, it became impossible to feed the power stations of Zuetina, North Benghazi, and Al-Sarir, with their needs of natural gas, as the production of crude oil is linked to gas from the fields of Waha and Mellitah companies, which led to the disruption of the supply of the coast line with natural gas.
Sanalla added: “Today, more than ever, we are faced with stressful challenges represented in our inability to cover the needs of vital facilities in the country with fuel. The exchange of crude oil from the available production with liquid fuel is at stake as a result of the sharp decline in production, as well as the disruption of feeding the account of fuel in hard currency because of the refusal of the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance to liquidate the allocations in US dollars. It is not surprising that the crisis will escalate in the summer season unless oil production is resumed or the current deficit in fuel account is addressed.”
In response to some of his statements, Sanalla said: “We expected the Oil Minister, Aoun, to be the government’s keeper, bearing its weight and helping it with his opinion, but unfortunately he lives in a state of denial of reality. Sometimes he goes out to the media to mislead public opinion and says that stopping oil production does not constitute a loss, and at other times he tries to single out the government and we don’t really know why it manipulates facts, distorts events, denies constants and lives in the narrowness of his obsessions.”
The Corporation also explained to all citizens and the executive and legislative authorities in the country that the losses resulting from the closures exceeded 16 billion Libyan dinars to date, the production has decreased and declined sharply, as daily exports ranged between 365 to 409 thousand barrels per day, with a decrease of 865,000 barrels per day from production rates under normal conditions. The National Oil Corporation and its subsidiaries continue to carry out their duties and responsibilities, but we are obliged under this statement to bear the full responsibility to the parties causing the crisis.”
An official source in the Government of National Unity revealed exclusively that Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, will be holding a meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, with the Board of Directors of the Saving & Real Estate Investment Bank and its general manager.
The source added that this meeting will be devoted to announcing the launch of the youth loan initiative officially, noting that the meeting will be followed by a press conference to clarify the mechanism for distributing housing loans to young people in various parts of Libya.
Today, Wednesday, the most modernized factory for manufacturing pasta, couscous and semolina was inaugurated on an area of 60 hectares in the Dafniya area of Zliten in the Dafniya Food Complex. It contains juice, flour, semolina, oil, pasta and couscous factories of the Whiba Holding.
This project will transfer the industry through the private sector to real competition, and provides hundreds of job opportunities, in addition to the fact that the factory occupies an area of 60 hectares and employs more than 900 employees within the Dafnia Food Complex. Production will cover all needs and local consumption. It also aims to export to Africa and neighboring countries.
Thus, it will achieve stability for food security, enhance job opportunities for Libyan youth, and reduce import from abroad for basic commodities. The complex’s administration also began receiving wheat shipments from local farmers in agricultural fields in southern Libya, and the first quantities to the complex’s silos arrived, which enhances the agricultural activity in Libya and stimulates local production and achieves a better economy.
The National Oil Corporation confirmed in a statement today, Wednesday, in response to a circular by the Finance Ministry in the National Unity Government that the allocations for fuel subsidies for the first four months of this year have not been transferred from the Central Bank of Libya to the Corporation’s accounts in the foreign bank in hard currency to pay the value of importing fuels. It pointed out that what the Ministry of Finance has published is not considered true.
The National Oil Corporation was surrounded by the crisis of not being able to secure fuels in Libyan dinars, in addition to the fact that the crude oil exports have decreased, making it impossible to exchange all needs for available crude oil on time with major consumers in the local market.
The National Oil Corporation stated that, with Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, are continuing to carry out their responsibilities according to the available capabilities. The body causing this crisis must bear all the responsibilities and repercussions that may lead us to the stage of stopping supplies to vital facilities.
The Ministry of Finance in the Government of National Unity refuted what was stated in the statement of the National Oil Corporation regarding the non-referral of financial allocations to the fuels account, stressing that this statement is contrary to the reality, which is proven through the official data and documents in the ministry’s archives regarding the referral of the approved allocations under Chapter Four of the fuel subsidy by the Ministry to the Central Bank of Libya.
The ministry explained that it referred the fuel subsidy allocations for the months of January, February, March and April for the fiscal year 2022 to the Central Bank of Libya. It noted that it is now in the process of preparing and referring the fuel subsidy allocations for the months of May and June to the corporation, due to the importance shown by the ministry to this aspect and what it represents in the operational and production process of the oil sector.
The Ministry of Finance emphasized the role that the oil sector plays in general in advancing the national economy and giving it its full attention regarding the subject matter of the National Oil Corporation’s statement, calling on those in charge of the management of the Corporation to investigate the accuracy and the necessary professional care regarding the official statements issued by it.
The National Oil Corporation had issued a statement in which it indicated that the Ministry of Finance had not committed to transferring the financial allocations to the fuels account since six months of this year, which negatively affected the export rates and the inability to meet the demand for fuels, which was totally denied by the Ministry of Finance.
Today, Tuesday, the Minister of Finance in charge of the Government of National Unity, Mohamed Al-Shahubi, issued circular No. 1 of 2022 regarding the rules for implementing cabinet decisions in the government regarding determining the rates of contributions to social security, social solidarity and health insurance funds.
According to the Finance Minister circular, the contribution rate for employees in the state sectors included 3.75% of pension subscription for social security, 0.25% of subscription for lump-sum grants and social security subsidies, 0.25% for basic social solidarity pension, 0.25% for quality health care, and 0.625% The basic health care subscription to the health insurance fund, in addition to the 1% social solidarity subscription.
According to the circular, the total percentage of these contributions amounted to 6.125%, meaning that the employee whose salary is 1000 dinars, for example, an amount of 61.25 dinars (61 and a quarter dinars) will be deducted from him for contributions. The value that will be deducted can be calculated by multiplying the total salary by 6.125 and then dividing it by 100 to get the deducted value, noting that the value of the salary after deducting contributions will be subject to the “jihad” tax according to the circular of the Minister in charge.
The head of the Administrative Control Authority emanating from the House of Representatives, Abdul Salam Al-Hassi held a meeting with the Director General of the Department of Control of the Ministries, the Director of the General Department of Authorities Control, the Director of the Planning and Follow-up Office, and the Director of the Sub-Department of Control of the Council of Ministers.
The meeting dealt with the review and study of the annual report of the Administrative Control Authority for the year 2021, the extent to which the committees charged with preparing reports on some entities, and the stages reached by the annual report committee in preparing the report.
Al-Hassi stressed the need for the committees to quickly complete their work, and to include the most important issues that can be benefited from in the annual report of the authority.