By Farah Waleed.
Benghazi, 25 September, 2014:
The manager of the main Gumhouriya Bank branch in Benghazi, Bushafa Al-Amari, has been released after a . . .[restrict]ransom was allegedly paid. It is said it was LD 1 million. However, it is reported that the office manager of the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Libya has been kidnapped in Tripoli.
Al-Amari, who is said to be in good condition, was seized earlier this month by a group. It was reported at the time, that they had demanded LD 10 million.
His kidnapping resulted in bank staff throughout the east of the country going on strike and demanding better security.
The LD 1 million is said to have been paid by Al-Amari’s family, friends and the bank.
No ransom is as yet reported to have been demanded for Mohamed Lamari (no relation), the CBL official, who was seized yesterday on his way home from the bank. It may be that his is a political abduction. It is reported that he had received threats some days ago.
In the current security vacuum, there has been an explosion of kidnappings both in Tripoli and Bengahzi. In many cases, these are carried out by common criminals but it is also alleged that militants wanting money for their cause have been involved. Reports of victims families even having to sell their homes to pay ransoms.
The LD 1 million ransom paid out for Al-Amari is the largest so far publicly announced. However, larger ones have been reported by families have not gone public about them. [/restrict]
