By Sami Zaptia.
London, 19 September 2019:
The Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation (NOC) today condemned the formation of a parallel board of directors by the eastern branch of its Brega Petroleum Marketing Company.
It said that it is an attempt to divide Brega Company and warned that it puts Libya at risk of partition.
The eastern Brega branch had cited the curtailment of fuel supplies by Tripoli to the east for the breakaway. The NOC denies curtailment of fuel supplies.
The NOC stressed that the unity and sole legitimacy of the NOC and its subsidiaries is enshrined in Libyan law and protected by UN Security Council resolutions.
NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said that the “NOC rejects any attempts to partition and politicize Libya’s oil sector to serve narrow interests and foreign agendas.
Fuel supply to the Eastern and Central regions is more than adequate for civilian purposes.
The real motive behind this attempt is to set up a new illegitimate entity for the illegal export of oil from Libya.
Let us be clear, if NOC loses its oil export monopoly, the future integrity of Libya is at grave risk. It is disappointing that the people behind this attempt to divide the nation put their personal ambitions ahead of the unity and integrity of the country.
NOC is exploring all legal and diplomatic measures, and puts all companies operating on the oil market on notice that any attempt to deal or sign contracts with this false company is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions. NOC will pursue all legal avenues available to secure Libya’s unity.”
The NOC said that it also rejects attempts to misinform the public about fuel supply to the Eastern and Central regions and to portray the Corporation as taking sides in the conflict in Libya.
It said that aviation fuel supplies to the Eastern and Central regions in the first three months of 2019 were 21% higher relative to 2018; and 52% higher from April to August.
In August, aviation fuel supplies were reduced because of the availability of sufficient and adequate reserves at the region warehouses, which reached their full storage capacity.
It said that the person appointed by the Interim Government as chairman of the parallel board of directors of BPMC is a former BPMC board member whose administrative and financial violations triggered an internal NOC investigation, and a committee was formed on March 25, 2019 to investigate him. BPMC’s General Assembly suspended the employee in question from his post and referred him to the Public Prosecutor’s office for criminal investigation into the charges against him.
