Tripoli, 27 May:
The private security company G4S has been denied permission to work in Libya, according to the ministry of foreign . . .[restrict]affairs.
In a statement issued yesterday, the foreign ministry said that no license to work would be granted to G4S, its subsidiaries or affiliates, and that the company “is not welcome in the country”.
Widespread controversy had arisen over reports that G4S had signed a contract to protect the European Union mission in Libya without seeking permission from the Libyan government.
Both G4S and the EU insist that they did approach the Libyan government about the contract in April, but alleged that the requisite legal framework to gain authorisation for the contract was not in place.
However, in an interview with the Libya Herald earlier this week, Richard Northern, a consultant for G4S and the former British Ambassador to Libya, denied that G4S and the EU had decided to proceed with the contract regardless.
“We will not go ahead without government approval”, he said.
It seems that this assurance was not enough to placate the authorities.
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