Libya’s Criminal Court has sentenced the former head of the Libyan mission in Uganda to 13 months in prison, along with an official responsible for financial affairs in the mission. This is reportedly for transgressions during the period from 2013-2017.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that its investigation concluded with the finding that the officials “did not fulfil their duties, leading to legal action being filed against them.”
The Criminal Court subsequently convicted them, as announced by the Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday.
The court decided to imprison the financial official for one year as well, while clearing them of two other charges.
Notably, the Attorney General, Al-Siddiq Al-Sour is leading a campaign against corruption in the Libyan state institutions. Dozens of officials and diplomats were arrested in connection with embezzlement, corruption, and abuse of power. Libyan banking officials were also arrested over embezzlement charges.
In September, Al-Sour ordered the imprisonment of the Chargé d’Affairs of the Libyan Mission to Argentina pending investigation on charges of misuse of his position.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office explained that it investigated the incident of abuse of office attributed to the mission official.
In a statement, the Office detailed the findings of the investigation. It revealed that the official had exceeded his role by authorizing the financial controller, appointed by the state in which the mission operates.
Additionally, the official was found to have violated the protocols for reviewing financial operations by exclusively managing the mission’s bank accounts, even after the termination of his official relationship.
As a result of these revelations, the investigator handling the case has ordered the official’s pretrial detention while the investigation proceeds. Furthermore, a criminal accounting examination has been initiated to scrutinize the expenditure aspects within the mission.
The Office of the Attorney General affirmed its commitment to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation, ensuring that justice is served.