The United States commended the Maltese Government’s seizure of $1.1 billion in counterfeit Libyan currency, which was printed by a Russian state-owned company named Goznak following an order by an illegitimate parallel entity in Libya.
In a statement published on Friday, US Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus pointed out that the Central Bank of Libya headquartered in Tripoli is “Libya’s only legitimate central bank.”
“The influx of counterfeit, Russian-printed Libyan currency in recent years has exacerbated Libya’s economic challenges” the statement said.
Ortagus stressed that this incident once again highlights the need for Russia to cease its “malign and destabilising” actions in Libya.
“The United States remains committed to working with the United Nations and international partners to deter illicit activities that undermine Libya’s sovereignty and stability, and which are inconsistent with internationally-recognised sanctions regimes”, it added.