Libya: Education Minister sentenced to jail over textbook shortage scandal

Libya’s Education Minister, Moussa al-Megarief, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison following his involvement in a 2021 school textbook shortage, the attorney general’s office revealed on Sunday March 16. A Tripoli appeal Court also imposed a fine of 1,000 dinars (around $200) and stripped Megarief of his civil rights for the duration of his sentence, plus an additional year post-release.

The minister, part of Libya’s national unity Government, was found guilty of favoritism and mismanagement related to contracts for textbook printing.

The case stems from a significant textbook shortage at the beginning of the 2021 academic year, leaving parents to resort to photocopies for their children’s education despite the government’s promise to provide free textbooks in public schools. An investigation into Megarief’s handling of the procurement contracts revealed allegations of favoring an undisclosed party, as well as breaching principles of fairness and equality in the process. Initially placed under preventive detention due to suspected negligence, Megarief was later released for lack of evidence but was reinstated as education minister before the trial concluded.

Megarief defended his actions by claiming that the delay was due to efforts to unify Libya’s school curriculum across the country’s three regions, which, he said, disrupted payments to suppliers. Despite his conviction, the Education Ministry posted an image of him working on its official Facebook page shortly before the attorney general’s announcement, raising questions about the government’s stance on the issue.