Chairman of Libya’s Oil company sacked, under investigation

Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas, Mohamed Aoun, suspended the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanallah, from work pending an investigation of the violations attributed to him, reports say.

Aoun has dismissed Sanallah for breaking a government rule that all leading government employees must seek permission before travelling abroad. The minister also referred him to investigation after the NOC chairman prevented his temporary successor Jadallah Al-Awkali from assuming his new role.

Al-Awkali sent a letter to the Minister, informing him that he was unable to carry out the assignment based on orders from Mustafa Sanallah. The General Petroleum Union and Petroleum Facilities Guard have also been informed of Sanallah’s suspension.

The oil sector in Libya has been recovering in recent months, with local production reaching 1.3 million barrels per day, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) notes.

NOC, on August 19, indicated that the country’s oil revenues reached a record level of more than $2 billion last July, for the second month in a row.