By Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis, 10 September 2017:
There are reports that the latest Central Bank Bank (CBL) staff member to have been seized has been detained by a militia on unspecified criminal and security charges. In the last two years six CBL employees have been kidnapped, one of them twice.
Al-Mabrouk Al-Rujbani, head of IT at the bank disappeared on Wednesday and angry colleagues protested outside the CBL demanding his kidnappers release him
The media office of Gneiwa’s Abu Sleem brigade today revealed that it was they who had arrested Rujbani as part of what they said was a criminal enquiry.
“ We refute the claim by the CBL administration that he was kidnapped” the media office said, adding “All procedures taken with him were in accordance with laws”.
Rujbani is the second CBL employee to be seized this year. In May, banking operations manager Fathi Al-Haji was abducted. It has never been made clear how his kidnapping ended.
In June 2015 CBL staff threatened to shut down the bank entirely after three members of its anti-money laundering department were seized at the Bel Ashhar branch of Gumhouria Bank in Tajoura where they were investigating a fake letter of credit reportedly for $159 million. The promise to stop all financial transactions produced the desired result and the three men were quickly released.
Earlier that week, the CBL spokesman Essam El-Oul had been kidnapped for the second time in 12 months. Oul was also later released, again in circumstances that were never clear.
