News

Anti-pandemic budget money was stolen in Libya

The Libyan Audit Bureau said that the funds directed to combat the outbreak of the Corona epidemic in Libya went into the pockets of officials affiliated with the Government of National Accord, and demanded the arrest of all those involved in the theft and embezzlement.

On August 12, the Bureau revealed the details of a financial corruption incident that condemns the Military Medicine Authority of the Ministry of Defense of the Government of National Accord, Al Arabiaya news channel reports.

The funds that were allocated to confront the Corona crisis were manipulated by officials of the Military Medicine Authority, who passed financial transactions in violation of existing legislation and regulations.

In addition, officials approved and disbursed money without the appropriate verifications in projects of health isolation centers in the municipalities of Nalut, Zintan and Zuwara.

The head of the Bureau, Khaled Shakshak, demanded the military prosecutor and the general prosecutor to arrest 6 officials of the Military Medicine Authority for conspiring among themselves and using their official position with the aim of illegally deriving benefit for themselves.

The list of defendants also included Omar Al-Basir Milad Huweidi (The Director General of the Military), Muhammad Salem Hussain (The Head of the Project Management of the Military Medicine Authority), Adnan Bashti (The Supervising Engineer at Project Management), Abdul Hakim Salem Attia (The Supervising Engineer at Project Management), Yunus Muhammad Al-Maslam (The Supervising Engineer at Project Management), and Ammar Mansour Al-Taeb (The Financial Auditor, Military Medicine Authority).

Moreover, the head of the Bureau also suspended payments to 5 construction companies until their legal obligations are met. The list of companies included: Al-Khandaq International Contracting Company, Al-Toubi International Contracting Company, Al-Ajwa Al-Alam General Contracting Company, Evolution Guide Company for Contracting, and Al-Fayhaa General Contracting Company.

It is noteworthy that the Libyan Presidential Council had allocated a large budget to confront the Corona crisis that exceeded half a billion dollars, granting part of it to the Military Medicine Authority and tasking it with maintaining, altering and equipping health isolation centers in a number of areas in western Libya, in addition to supplying and installing clinics ready to detect suspected cases of coronavirus.