On Sunday, the Criminal Court of Tripoli sentenced officials from Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, to a 30-month jail term over the “tainted fuel” scandal, which allegedly involved damage to public property.
The Court additionally imposed a fine of 10,000 Libyan dinars, and mandated a compensation of over 147 million dinars. However, the Director of Supplies at the NOC was declared innocent.
In an official statement, the Attorney General’s Office revealed that the convicted parties had “intentionally refrained from contracting with fuel production companies. Instead, they had taken delivery of fuel supplies that did not adhere to the established Libyan standards. They depended on immediate supply contracts, who failed to ensure public interest protection.”
The arrest was sanctioned in 2022, after a thorough inventory and surveillance of the supplied quantities, followed by chemical analyses. The reports confirmed that the fuel samples did not comply with the accredited Libyan standards.
Attorney General, Al-Siddiq Al-Sour has previously announced that a comprehensive investigation on the “tainted fuel” affair had been initiated, involving the relevant companies.
This action was triggered after numerous citizens reported issues with their vehicles in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sebha, following refuelling at local petrol stations in May 2022. The exact cause of these malfunctions remained unknown at that time.
The Office highlighted that these mishaps were triggered by deviations in the concentration of elements such as octane, gums, oxygen, and manganese in the fuel, which were not in line with the norms prescribed in the Libyan standards.
Libya’s economy heavily relies on the oil sector, which contributes to the vast majority of its GDP. The NOC is the national oil company of Libya, responsible for oil and gas exploration, production, and marketing.
The Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NOC, is the entity in charge of the distribution and marketing of petroleum products within the country. Both the NOC and Brega play crucial roles in the country’s oil industry and economy.
However, the oil industry in Libya has been marred by conflicts, political instability, and corruption cases, impacting the country’s economy and its people’s livelihood. One such recent scandal that caught the public’s attention was the ‘tainted fuel’ case.
The case has put a spotlight on the need for stricter regulations and transparency within Libya’s oil sector. The economy is projected to grow, despite ongoing political challenges.
