Last Wednesday (22 May) Tripoli based Libyan Prime Minister, Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba, followed up in a meeting at his office on the results of the visit of the Acting Minister of Oil and Gas, Khalifa Abdel Sadig, to the United States.
Abdel Sadig not Aoun still Oil and Gas Minister?
The follow up meeting by Aldabaiba with Abdel Sadig is revealing in that it still confirms that Aldabaiba still considers Abdel Sadig as the Acting Oil and Gas Minister.
This seems to contradict leaked social media copies of a purported letter circulating last week from the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) that Aoun has been cleared of charges and is free to resume his duties as Oil and Gas Minister.
Aldabaiba meeting Abdel Sadig could mean the ACA letter is fake, or it has not made its way through Libya’s bureaucracy and reached Aldabaiba, or that Aldabaiba is ignoring/ rejecting it.
Was Aldabaiba behind Aoun’s suspension?
Whichever of these possibilities transpires to be the reality – it will be revealing. It could quash or reconfirm rumours that Aldabaiba was, all along, behind the suspension of the ‘‘thorn in the side’’ Aoun.
The controversial NC7 oil deal
Aoun had resisted the NC7 Hamada oil deal with a consortium of foreign investors which Aldabaiba was pushing.
It will be recalled that the ACA had suspended Aoun on 25 March and referred him to investigation.
The suspension was on charges of ‘‘legal violations’’ and was as a precaution “for reasons of interest”.
PM Aldabaiba meets new Acting Oil Minister Abdel Sadig (libyaherald.com)
Controversial NC7 Hamada field development must go ahead: Aldabaiba (libyaherald.com)
Attorney General holds press conference to present an overview of cases in 2023 (libyaherald.com)
NOC declares force majeure on Sharara oilfield due to closure by local protesters (libyaherald.com)
