Ibrahim Al-Jarari, the Chairman of the Joint Libyan-Egyptian Economic Chamber has issued a statement warning of a massive backlog of trucks at the Musaid Libyan-Egyptian land crossing.
This backlog stems from a directive issued by the Ministry of Environment of the Libyan Government requiring a fee of $150 per truck.
These fees are paid to private Egyptian companies by Libyan drivers outside Libyan territory in exchange for an inspection certificate—a procedure that Al-Jarari says violates the law and lacks any legal basis.
Libyan importing companies, he said, have refused to pay these fees; however, if this absurdity persists and payment remains mandatory, the financial burden will ultimately fall upon the Libyan citizen, he added.
Al-Jarari called upon the competent Libyan authorities to put an end to this ‘‘corruption and irregularity, to hold those responsible accountable, and to track these funds, which do not enter the Libyan treasury’’.
The Joint Libyan-Egyptian Economic Chamber has repeatedly addressed the relevant authorities and warned against this practice. Unfortunately, however, these fees continue to be collected in this unlawful manner outside Libyan territory without reaching the Libyan treasury.
Al-Jarari urged regulatory bodies and the Public Prosecutor to investigate these procedures and intervene to halt this corruption and irregularity.