“Libyan oil minister arrested amid corruption charges and field shutdown.”
Just a day after Libya had to cut oil production from its biggest field, Sharara, due to protests, the Libyan Prosecutor’s Office in Tripoli ordered the arrest of the country’s oil minister on corruption charges.
On Wednesday, an arrest warrant was issued for Oil Minister Khalifa Abdul-Sadiq, who is accused of using 600,000 euros for a foreign company, according to Libyan media.
Libya’s oil minister position has been controversial for months. In March, Oil Minister Mohamed Oun was suspended and replaced by Abdul-Sadiq. By May, Oun was cleared of any wrongdoing and was supposed to return to his post. However, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh reportedly instructed Abdul-Sadiq not to give up the position, leading to confusion with two oil ministers working against each other.
Libyan Oil Minister Arrested Amid Unclear Leadership and Field Shutdown Controversy
This week, an arrest warrant was issued for Oil Minister Khalifa Abdul-Sadiq. Meanwhile, his predecessor, Mohamed Oun, had asked for clarification in early July about who is the official oil minister and said he would step aside until he got an answer.
With Abdul-Sadiq now arrested, it’s unclear who is officially in charge of the oil ministry and if Oun will be reinstated.
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Additionally, there are reports suggesting that recent protests leading to a partial shutdown of Libya’s Sharara oilfield might not be genuine. The Libya Observer speculates that General Khalifa Haftar, who leads rival forces in the east, might have arranged these protests as revenge for his recent brief detention in Italy over weapons smuggling charges. Repsol, a Spanish oil company, is a partner in the Sharara field.
Currently, Sharara is producing 200,000 barrels per day, down from 270,000, though it can handle up to 300,000 barrels per day.
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