Public Prosecutor Orders Detention of Officials in Three Corruption and Forgery Cases in Tripoli
Libya — The Public Prosecutor has ordered the pre-trial detention of a former official in the Ministry of Labor and Rehabilitation’s Operations and Employment Department and another ministry employee after evidence showed their involvement in forging official documents attributed to the ministry.
Forged Official Documents for Foreign Workers
According to the Prosecutor’s Office within the jurisdiction of the Tripoli Court of Appeal, the Passports Investigation Department referred about 102 official documents that had authorized foreign nationals to work in Libya. It later emerged the suspects falsified the contents, falsely attributed them to the Ministry of Labor, and affixed counterfeit stamps in exchange for illicit financial gains.
The prosecution said it is pursuing additional suspects involved in the forgery scheme, including those who used the forged documents.
Former Head of Libya Africa Investment Company Branch in Mali Detained
In a separate case, the Public Prosecutor ordered the detention of the former general manager of the Libya Africa Investment Company’s branch in the Republic of Mali, following a review of the Audit Bureau’s report on the “Hotel Africa” refurbishment project.
The investigation found harm to public funds after the suspect canceled a €10 million contract with a construction company and then unlawfully contracted a different firm, disbursing 50% of the contract value without the works being completed.
It also determined that the manager’s successor borrowed €12 million from a bank, appointed a consultancy owned by his wife, and diverted the loan to non-designated purposes—actions that led to the transfer of the hotel’s ownership to the lender. The prosecutor ordered that other defendants be pursued domestically and internationally.
Misappropriation Case Involving 11 Million Dinars at the Curriculum Center
The prosecution also ordered the detention of the financial comptroller at the Center for Educational Curricula and Research, his predecessor, the head of finance, the chair of the procurement committee, the director of the schoolbook department, and the warehouse manager, after establishing the waste of 11 million dinars.
Anti-corruption prosecutors said the investigation uncovered irregularities in a contract the center concluded with a Jordanian printing company, including the payment of 85% of the contract value despite materials failing to meet specifications.
It also found that the center contracted to print a French-language textbook that is not part of the basic-education curriculum and relied on inaccurate technical reports regarding the capabilities of certain local printing presses.
