The National Accord Bloc of the High State Council issued a written statement, dated 9 March 2026 but only made public yesterday, calling on all relevant Libyan authorities to take the necessary steps against Arkenu Oil Company’s ‘‘corrupt’’ and ‘‘illegal’’ export of Libyan oil.
Arkenu is a private oil company licenced by the Tripoli government headed by Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba, but it is widely perceived to be controlled by the Hafter family and maybe in collusion with the Aldabaiba family. Critics perceive that some oil revenues are being diverted to offshore personal accounts in the UAE. It is the only private Libyan oil company licensed to export oil in contravention of Libyan law – and an activity historically monopolised by the Libyan state.
It is perceived that Aldabaiba licensed Arkenu to export oil as part of the wider deal to stop Hafter’s war on Tripoli and to prevent him from turning off the oil taps under his geographical control in eastern Libya which constitute about 75 percent of Libya’s oil production.
In their letters to the Attorney General’s Office and the Administrative Control Authority, the bloc stated:
‘‘It is no longer a secret that our country is suffering from an economic crisis that has burdened the living conditions of its citizens, forcing them to struggle to secure their basic needs. This crisis is not due to a scarcity of resources or weak revenues, but rather a direct result of the political and institutional division that has created a fertile ground for corruption, which has reached staggering levels and produced an approach that strikes at the very heart of the state and jeopardizes the fate and future of its people.
In a dangerous precedent and a blatant act of corruption, the (Tripoli based and Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba-led) Government of National Unity granted a license to a private company (Arkenu Oil Company) to operate in the oil sector, in violation of Libyan legislation and to serve the narrow interests of two families (implying the Aldabaiba and Hafter families) attempting to impose their will on the Libyan people by exploiting their money and resources to extend their influence and establish their authority as a fait accompli.
Based on the national duty to safeguard the country’s resources and combat corruption, members of the National Accord Bloc in the High Council of State filed an administrative appeal before the Zawiya Court of Appeal against Decision No. 544 of 2023 issued by the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, which granted a license to the Arkenu Company. Despite the appeal being filed in July 2025, the delay in ruling on it demonstrates the extent of the pressure exerted on the judiciary to prevent a judgment that protects the national interest.
In this regard, we remind you (the Attorney General and the Administrative Control Authority) of your responsibilities as the guardian of criminal cases. Given the suspected criminal activity of the Arkenu Company, which includes harming the public interest, misappropriating public funds, and abusing power and influence for personal gain and the benefit of others—as evidenced by the decline in oil revenues and confirmed by the UN Panel of Experts on Libya and numerous other international reports—we consider this letter a formal notification regarding the aforementioned suspected criminal activity. We hope that you will take the necessary actions and measures’’.
