The former chairman of the National Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sanalla, said yesterday ‘‘justice may be delayed but it is not absent’’.
Sanalla was commenting in a post on his personal social media platform following the decision of the Tripoli Criminal Court yesterday to convict those involved in the closure of ports and oil fields led by militia leader Ibrahim Jadhran.
Tripoli Criminal Court had convicted seven involved in ‘‘an organisation engaged in activities that threatened the safety of the state and the national economy”.
The seven defendants in an armed group were blamed for actions that resulted in losses to the Libyan state amounting to US$ 52,218, 413.
They were accused of seeking to replace the form of government and the country’s basic systems, preventing public authorities from carrying out their duties, sabotaging government headquarters, arbitrarily killing government workers, and forcing oil field workers to shut down production sites for a period of time (other losses related to their armed attacks on ports and destroying oil reservoirs).
The convicts were not named by the Attorney General’s Office but were mentioned using only the first letters of their names. However, Libyan Arabic language media named them in full.
Tripoli Criminal Court sentenced the first (A. S. J.), second (S. A. N.), third (A. S. Q.), fourth (A. H.), fifth (J. H.) and the sixth defendant (M.J.) to 18 years in prison. The seventh convict (S.M.) was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Sanalla said ‘‘the Court decision is a victory for right and law, and an affirmation that attempts to attack these facilities, whether by tampering, destruction, closure or smuggling, will not go unpunished, in the long or short term.
Justice delayed but not absent
During my chairmanship of the National Oil Corporation, our position was clear and consistent: there is no tolerance for all those who attack the wealth and future of Libyans. We did our best to confront these acts of sabotage, and our permanent weapon was the law and the judiciary to hold those involved accountable, believing that the law is the refuge, and that rights do not lapse by statute of limitations, and that justice, even if delayed, will not be absent.
The hand of justice will reach you one day
I confirm that we did not exclude anyone, and we submitted reports against everyone who offended himself and his country, whether by trying to close (oil fields or ports), or incitement to it, or by extortion and asking for money, or by smuggling crude and fuel.
Today’s rulings are only a clear message to everyone who is tempted to tamper with Libya’s capabilities and the livelihood of Libyans: the hand of justice will reach him one day.
All thanks to the Attorney General’s Office and the Public Prosecutors.
We ask God to protect Libya and its people, and to help it move forward on the path of building a state of law and institutions, and to hold every offender accountable’’.
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