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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 11 June 2018:
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) has welcomed the unprecedented UN sanctions imposed last week against human traffickers and smugglers through Libya. It has called for the list to be extended to include Libyan fuel smugglers.
In its statement released Saturday, the NOC said that its Chairman Mustafa Sanalla has welcomed the unanimous decision of the United Nations Security Council’s Libyan Sanctions Committee to designate six individuals for their part in the trafficking and smuggling of migrants; a first since 2011.
The statement noted that amongst the names included in this list is known fuel smuggler Mohamed Kashlaf, an individual who has previously defrauded the Libyan state through various illicit acts, including the occupation of the Zawiya refinery and other initiatives related to fuel smuggling since 2011.
The NOC said that it applauds the international community’s efforts to bring those who profit from migrant trafficking and smuggling to justice. It called for this list to be extended further to capture all criminal gangs, including petroleum products smugglers, and those who attempt to steal crude oil to profit from human misery and destabilise Libyan society.
The NOC said that it highly values the close collaboration with Al Sadiq Al-Sour, Head of Investigations for the Attorney General’s office for efforts made to combat widespread criminal activity.
“Smuggling destroys lives – either in the horrors of the migrant trade, or in the outright theft of Libya’s petroleum products and the attempts to steal crude oil – threatening our country’s stability and security’’, the statement quoted NOC chairman Sanalla
‘‘These actions must now be pursued fully by the international community, to degrade and disrupt the entire criminal networks that profit illegally while destroying our country’s recovery. The Committee has set an important precedent in combatting these crimes – Libyans should also choose to exclude all smugglers from our children’s future. We call for the sanctions list to immediately expand and include fuel smugglers across our country. This measure will help prosperity and peace to return to Libya.”, Sanalla concluded.
It will be recalled that the UN Security Council had imposed unprecedented sanctions last week on six leaders of human trafficking and smuggling networks operating from Libya.
The sanctions had been introduced by the Netherlands in May, but Russia had delayed the resolution while it established the evidence against the accused. The sanctions impose a travel ban and an asset freeze on the six named individuals, four Libyans and two Eritreans.
It is the first time that the UN Security Council has targeted human traffickers/smugglers.
UN imposes unprecedented sanctions on six Libya human traffickers
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