Libyan police have arrested a Ghanaian national on charges of forging passports and documents for members of the Ghanaian community residing in Libya.
On Sunday, the Al-Baraka Police Station stated that it had received information about the forgeries. Investigations revealed that the accused concluded a forged marriage contract for a woman who gave birth to an illegitimate child, who later died. The man also forged several birth certificates for members of the Ghanaian community residing in Benghazi, according to the statement.
The police found “photos of forged documents and passports on two computers. As well as 26 birth certificates belonging to the Ghanaian community, a set of personal photos, passports, a bag containing a camera, documents, and a hard disk.”
Another Ghanaian national carrying a forged passport was also arrested. The two were placed in custody, and referred to the competent authorities for legal action.
Last week, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) arrested four migrants for allegedly running a prostitution ring in the Hawari area of Benghazi, according to Nigeria’s Naija News.
The Libyan authorities said the migrants were arrested during an attempt to solicit a young woman.
“The CID in Benghazi dismantled a prostitution ring and arrested four undocumented migrants including a woman of Nigerian nationality in the Hawari area,” Migrant Rescue Watch said in a tweet, on Sunday. “The 20-year-old female was being sold by her pimp for 50 LYD (ca. 10 USD) per customer,” it added.
All were referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for legal action.
Notably, the Chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee, MP Suleiman Al-Hariri claimed that a large number of migrants are involved in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and prostitution.
In a statement published by the Libyan Parliament, Al-Harari expressed its dissatisfaction with the report of the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission in Libya (FFM). He said the report ignored the efforts of the Libyan authorities in combating crime, especially drug trafficking and prostitution.
Al-Hariri added the report is “biased, lacks objectivity, and deliberately distorts the image of Libya. The report also holds Libya alone responsible for illegal migration flows.”
