Libya: Heads of sovereign state institutions shun Sirte meeting

Various heads of sovereign Libyan institutions invited by the speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Anguila Saleh to discuss the draft 2022 budget proposed by one of the country’s rival Prime Ministers, gave a cold shoulder to the meeting held Tuesday in Sirte.

No one from the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Libya, and the Control Authority Administrative Board, the Audit Bureau, the Board of Directors of the National Oil Corporation, and the Anti-Corruption Authority made it to the Sirte meeting chaired by Saleh.

The heads of those various sovereign state institutions were invited last Thursday to attend the meeting summoned by Saleh.

Their absence is a blow to Fathi Bashagha; the chosen Prime Minister of the parliament.

The HoR hand-picked in February the former Interior Minister to replace UN-backed Abdel Hamid Dbeibah. The latter has however refused to surrender power.

During the Sirte meeting, Saleh indicated that the Central Bank of Libya is not allowed to disburse funds without a general budget law, and called for guaranteeing the distribution of state revenues in a fair and transparent manner.

“”The Central Bank under the House of Representatives should be managed by the Board of Directors and in accordance with the law, and not only the governor alone should manage the bank, as all of this is contrary to the law and is considered an invalid act that may amount to the crime of abuse of power,” he added.

Despite the appointment of Bashaga in February, the Central Bank has continued to support Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity (GNU).