Government unaware of new oil smuggling claims from Libya

The government said yesterday it did not receive any communication from the Libyan Parliament on fresh claims of oil and fuel smuggling from the North African country. However, the Foreign Affairs Ministry did not comment on claims of rampant oil smuggling from Libya to Malta, which has allegedly been going on since the collapse of the Gaddafi regime. According to the Libyan Herald, the chairman of the Libyan Parliament’s Economy Committee, Ali Gatrani, has sent an official letter to the Maltese Ambassador in Tripoli complaining of continuous oil smuggling between Libya and Malta. The newspaper said the committee expected the Maltese authorities to stop the illicit trade. “The smuggling is negatively affecting the Libyan economy and the income is used by smugglers to trade in illicit goods such as drugs and alcohol, which affects Libyan security. The illicit gains are also financing terrorism,” Mr Gatrani wrote, the Libyan newspaper reported. This is not the first time such claims have been made. In 2014, during a visit to Malta, then prime minister Abdullah Thinni had called upon the Maltese government to take action against those involved in the smuggling of fuel from Libya to...