Maltese in Libya are still being advised to exercise caution as tensions continue to spread out of Benghazi.
It is a fluid situation which can change. One can go about one’s business but there’s the feeling that one must exercise caution
Foreign Affairs Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told The Sunday Times the situation was being closely monitored.
“The alert for Maltese is not higher than it was in the days before but we are encouraging people to be cautious,” he said, adding that he was in close contact with the 10 Maltese people in Benghazi, apart from Consul Joe Pirotta. “It is a fluid situation which can change. I’ve spoken to a Maltese person who works there.... One can go about one’s business but there’s the feeling that one must exercise caution,” he said.
One businessman who works in Libya told The Sunday Times that people were avoiding Benghazi where various political “gangs” were fighting for control over the area, creating a “very dangerous” atmosphere where the threat of kidnappings has increased.
“There are armed groups of all kinds: Islamists, liberals, criminals, army officials,” the businessman added, pointing out that there was also a movement to separate Benghazi from the rest of Libya, sparking concerns about oil.
Tensions were also rising in Misurata, where reports emerged of a number of policemen being assassinated, and the atmosphere is also having an impact on Tripoli where there are concerns that the threats could continue to spread, he said.
Dr Zammit Dimech did not confirm reports of abductions in Benghazi but said there were various theories circulating about why the UK and other Western governments urged their citizens to evacuate the Libyan city earlier this week.
“We’re picking up those rumours and pieces of news from the internet but none have been reported to us at Ministry of Foreign Affairs level,” he said.
Meanwhile, The Canadian Press yesterday claimed that a son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi allegedly received €120 million in bribes for giving major contracts to SNC-Lavalin Inc, Canada’s biggest engineering and construction company. It claimed some of the money was transferred to a bank account in Malta.
According to an affidavit the Royal Canadian Mounted Police used to obtain a search warrant at SNC’s head office last April, the bribes were paid, in a roundabout way, to Saadi Gaddafi by Riadh Ben Aissa, a vice-president at Montreal-based SNC at the time.