By Libya Herald reporter.
Malta, 25 January 2015:
The House of Representatives (HoR) and government of Abdullah Thinni, the only internationally recognized legislature . . .[restrict]and government in Libya, yesterday transferred the Central Bank of Libya from Benghazi to Al-Beida, the seat of government.
The CBL in Benghazi was the branch of the CBL that is effectively headed by CBL Governor Ali Hibri and is recognized by the House of Representatives and its Abdullah Thinni government.
The Tripoli CBL is headed by ex-Governor Saddik El-Kabir who was sacked by the HoR in September 2014.
The government reported yesterday, according to its official news agency LANA, that a ‘’team of experts and employees from the CBL successfully transferred the main accounting and banking transfer system to Al-Beida, the new site chosen for the bank by the government’’.
Sources from the CBL informed LANA that the system is now in Beida so as to enable the employees of the CBL to conduct any financial transactions.
The sources assured that the ”team of banking experts that conducted the transfer operation were able to totally secure the system in the new main site for the CBL in the city of Beida in a progressive move so as to be able to commence all banking transactions from the city”.
Furthermore, the sources added that the transfer of the CBL from Benghazi to the seat of government in Al-Beida was conducted so as to assure the Libyan public that their central bank is safe and that its old site in Benghazi is also safe and under the protection of the Marine Infantry Brigade, part of the Libyan National Army (LNA).
This move was also conducted in order to protect the CBL from ”the hands of abusers who have taken control of the capital Tripoli and made it into a hotbed for their organized criminal gangs who have, as many Libyans are aware”, the report adds, ”perpetrated and committed many armed bank robberies”.
”They have also perpetrated and committed many killings, assassinations, kidnappings and the sabotage of public and private institutions”, the report concluded.
It will be recalled that forces representing the HoR/Thinni government took over control of the CBL branch in the city last week claiming to be taking it over from Ansar Sharia forces who were protecting it.
The action was subsequently condemned by UNSMIL . [/restrict]
