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Qaddafi aide could face criminal trial for 1984 killing of police officer Yvonne Fletcher

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A former colleague of Yvonne Fletcher, the police officer shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984, is bringing a private prosecution for conspiracy to murder against an aide to Muammar Qaddafi.

Ms Fletcher, 25, was killed while policing a demonstration against Qaddafi outside the Libyan People’s Bureau in St James’s Square, London, in April 1984.

John Murray, 67, promised his colleague as she lay dying that he would find those responsible for her death.

Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk was found jointly liable for Ms Fletcher’s death in 2021 in a civil case brought by Mr Murray.

He is now pressing on with bringing a criminal prosecution against Mr Mabrouk, who lives in Libya, after prosecutors in the UK dropped a case against him in 2017.

“The legal advice we have had back gives us hope that a private prosecution will succeed,” Mr Murray told the Telegraph.

“It is clearly something we should not have to do, because this case should have been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).”

Law firm McCue Jury and Partners are working pro bono and will begin crowdfunding to pay for the prosecution, which is likely to be costly unless the CPS takes over.

They have obtained advice from an expert who said this was the last opportunity to get Mr Mabrouk into a criminal court.

The lawyers have obtained police and CPS files and are also looking to track down more witnesses. Testimony taken at the time can also be admitted.

The civil case against Mr Mabrouk was won on the balance of probability but for a criminal prosecution to be successful, the case needs to be proved beyond reasonable doubt, a higher test.

The judge in the civil case said he considered that the matter one that meets the criminal standard required.

Matt Jury, managing partner of McCue Jury and Partners, said: “The High Court ruling that found Saleh responsible for Yvonne’s murder served to demonstrate a criminal trial can take place, with or without the so-called national security material.”

He asked “will the UK government continue to block Mr Mabrouk’s extradition and prosecution and, if so, why?”

“John’s campaign for justice is far from over. There remain too many unanswered questions,” he said.

Mr Mabrouk was not present when Ms Fletcher was shot, having been detained by the police before the demonstration.

But Mr Justice Spencer said that Mr Mabrouk was an “active participant” in a plot to fire on the demonstrators.

Mr Mabrouk was arrested in 2015 in the UK, where he owned a home in Reading, Berkshire, but two years later police said charges could not be brought because key evidence had been kept on grounds of national security.

Despite being the prime suspect in the case, he was reportedly given several visas to return to the UK between 1999 and 2011 amid claims he was recruited as a “state asset”.

He is the only person to be arrested in connection with the case and denied having anything to do with the shooting.

Libya admitted responsibility in 1999 and agreed to pay compensation to Ms Fletcher’s family.

Adapted from The National

The Minister of Economy is on vacation, and Bushiha is a temporary minister of the Ministry of Economy

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A source at the Ministry of Economy and Trade revealed in an exclusive statement that the Minister of Economy, Mohamed Al-Huwaij, is on temporary leave from his work.

The source, who preferred not to be named, added that the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Suhail Bushiha, will temporarily replace the Minister of Economy until the return of Minister Mohamed Al-Huwaij.

Exclusive: CBL sets working hours for commercial banks on the occasion of Eid Al-Adhha

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An official source at the Central Bank of Libya revealed to our source today, Monday, the instructions of the Central Bank to commercial banks to amend working hours on the occasion of Eid Al-Adhha.

The instructions included that the working hours of employees inside commercial banks be from eight thirty in the morning until four in the afternoon, while the doors of banks are available to the public from nine in the morning until three thirty in the afternoon.

The bank stated in its publication that the employees’ holiday will be next Wednesday, the 25th of June, until the following Monday, provided that Tuesday is a normal working day.

Al-Huwaij is discussing with Al-Madar Company the activation of electronic services

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Today, Monday, the Minister of Economy and Trade in the Government of National Unity, Mohamed Al-Huwaij, discussed, during a meeting with the Director of the Business Sector at Al-Madar Company, Ahmed Al-Dairi, the mechanism for activating the agreement concluded between the two parties regarding the electronic payment service within the framework of implementing the digital transformation plan and providing services electronically.

The meeting discussed the collection of fees for financial procedures within the framework of implementing the digital transformation plan, the executive program for providing “Sadad” service at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and its affiliated authorities, in the presence of the Minister’s advisor, Shather Al-Said and the Director of the Ministry’s Office Affairs, Al-Taher Al-Ashtar.

Dbeibeh discusses with Bathily the file of elections and government spending

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The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbiebeh, discussed today, Sunday, during a meeting with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, the electoral path, ways to make the electoral process a success, and the government spending file, in the presence of the Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs, Walid Al-Lafi, and the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Adel Jumaa.

Dbeibeh said that the government’s vision towards the election file is based on fair and enforceable laws, and that this is a prerequisite for the success of the electoral process, with the aim of continuing the state of stability the country is witnessing during this period.

Dbeibeh confirmed that the government is continuing through the committees formed in it to coordinate efforts with the UN mission in order to enhance communication and implement programs supporting the success of the elections.

The meeting touched on indicators of government spending during the first half of this year, and Dbeibeh also noted the necessity of continuing the fair distribution of spending to all citizens in various regions, noting that more than 80% of spending goes directly and equally to all citizens through salaries, allowances and support.

For his part, Bathily praised the first meeting of the shopkeepers of Libya and the wide attendance it witnessed from all regions of Libya, in the presence of a number of ministers and ambassadors of countries accredited to Libya.

The Administrative Control Authority reveals its observations through its annual report for 2022

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The Administrative Control Authority presented its annual report for the year 2022, today, Sunday, during a press conference chaired by the Chairman of the Authority, Suleiman Al-Shanti, and in implementation of the provisions of Article 56. The report included an evaluation of the most prominent work in the Council of Ministers of the Government of National Unity and its affiliates. The report came in 778 papers and more than 80,000 violations or notes.

The Administrative Control Authority stated that it had answered the citizen’s question, regarding its taking the necessary legal measures regarding the observations, violations and abuses committed, stressing that it had taken several measures regarding everything that came in its report and what represented the following: first that the authority directed more than 1679 addresses to the executive authorities during the year 2022 and more than 878 correspondences for the current year 2023. So far, these authorities are working with them to take the necessary measures in accordance with the law, to correct the deviation in them of all kinds, whether the deviation from the public interest or from the principle of allocating goals or from the procedures.

The authority added, during its report on the measures taken, that it had directed more than 59 letters during the year 2022, and more than 25 letters during the current year to the executive authorities so far, in which it ordered them to withdraw their administrative decisions and their implications for violating the provisions of the legislation in force.

Thirdly, the authority issued more than 14 letters during the past year and more than 8 letters for the current year to the executive authorities requesting the cancellation of its administrative decisions. Fourthly, during 2022, the authority issued more than 73 decisions to suspend the reserve from work for a number of officials in the state, for the requirements of the investigation and the interest of work due to the existence of strong justifications that necessitate their suspension from work as a precautionary measure, as well as the emergence of more than 35 decisions representing the suspension for the year 2023.

The authority took measures to investigate violations and abuses referred by the control general departments of the authority to the general administration for investigation by the Public Prosecution, explaining that the cases registered during the year 2022 numbered 337 cases that were investigated and dealt with by returning 21 cases and charging 595 accused in them over the various years.

The results of the investigation resulted in the following procedures, including the referral of 44 accused to the accusation chamber in 20 cases, the referral of 101 accused to the criminal courts in the number of 41 cases, as well as the referral of 345 accused to the disciplinary councils for financial violations in the number of 114 cases, and the referral of a number 80 defendants were referred to the supreme disciplinary council in 42 cases, in addition to the referral of 25 defendants to the competent disciplinary councils in 17 cases, and the referral of 180 case files to the branches of the commission to conduct investigations according to the spatial jurisdiction.

In addition, a single case may be analyzed by more than one party, represented by the competent courts, accusation chambers, and training councils. The referral takes place according to the facts attributed to the accused in criminal offenses and administrative and financial violations, which are negligence and failure to preserve public money, forgery of official documents, use of forged official and customary documents, and the use of public money for purposes other than those designated for it, embezzlement and appropriation of public funds, negligence in job duties, wrong behavior that results in spending money unjustly.

Al-Kabeer discusses with the Dutch ambassador bilateral cooperation in preparing training courses for CBL employees, in cooperation with the Dutch Bank

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The Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Seddiq Al-Kabeer, met today, Sunday, with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Libya, Dolph Hugoneng to discuss bilateral cooperation in preparing and arranging training courses for Central Bank employees, in coordination with the Dutch Central Bank.

The meeting dealt with the positive report on Libya from the International Monetary Fund, and Libya’s efforts in the field of renewable energy.

The General Board for Fairs signs a cooperation agreement with the Turkish Nobel group of companies

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The General Board of Fairs concluded an agreement yesterday, Thursday, in Istanbul, with Nobel group of companies to organize Turkish exhibitions, in order to organize joint exhibitions in the two countries and implement specialized training programs.

The signing ceremony of the agreement was attended by the Chairman of the Management Committee of the General Authority for Exhibitions, Issam Al-Awl, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nobel Company, the Libyan Consul General in Turkey Salah El-Din Al-Kasih, the Commercial Attaché at the Libyan Consulate in Istanbul, Omar Derhoub, and the Chairman of the Libyan-Turkish Business Owners Council, Mortada Kronfyl, and a group of businessmen and company managers in Turkey.

The agreement included supporting cooperation in the fields of economy and investment between the private sectors of the two countries and increasing the volume of trade exchange.

Ministry of Finance: The surplus in the budget this year until the end of May is about 16 billion dinars

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The Ministry of Finance of the Government of National Unity stated in a statement on Thursday that the total public financial resources until the end of May of this year amounted to 48 billion and 606 million dinars, while public expenditures funded by the state treasury amounted to 32 billion and 671 million dinars, i.e. a surplus that exceeded 15,935 billion. Million dinars.

The ministry stated that the total oil revenues this year amounted to 46 billion and 704 million dinars, while other sovereign revenues amounted to one billion and 197 million dinars, in addition to 704 million remaining account balances from previous years.

As for government spending, the ministry indicated that the value of salaries exceeded 22 billion and 967 million dinars, and operating expenses amounted to 3 billion and 78 million, while the expenditures of the development section amounted to two billion and 208 million dinars, and the expenditures of the support section amounted to 4 billion and 416 million dinars.

The Ministry of Labor stresses the need to settle the conditions of foreign workers and identifies several controls for that purpose

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The Ministry of Labor and Rehabilitation of the Government of National Unity announced to all employers, whether individuals or public or private employers, and expatriate workers who are in Libya for the purpose of work, the need to regularize their status.

The Ministry clarified the conditions for settling the conditions of foreign workers, including obtaining a health fitness card from the reference laboratory in the Ministry of Health, concluding a work contract according to the form approved by the Ministry of Labor and having it approved by the Labor and Rehabilitation Office in the municipality, registering the work contract with the office of the Tax Authority in the municipality and in one of the offices of the Social Security Fund, and applying to the branches and sections of the Passports, Nationality and Foreigners Affairs Authority, to complete the procedures for obtaining residency for the purpose of work based on an approval issued by the Ministry of Labor.

To complete the settlement of any worker, the Ministry stipulated that the profession be one of the professions permitted to be occupied by non-national elements, in accordance with the decision of the Minister of Labor and Rehabilitation No. (392) for the year 2021 regarding the controls for the recruitment and use of non-national elements, stressing to those concerned from the expatriate workers and the authorities working in them the need to expedite the settlement of their situation within a maximum period of sixty days, starting from the date of the second of next July, and that strict legal measures will be applied against violators in accordance with the legal legislation in force in this regard.