A network involved in passport forgery has been arrested in Misrata, involving officers, major generals, and employees in the passport departments.
According to the Libya Press platform, the passport forgery network was involved with certain companies in bringing in foreign labor with counterfeit stamps, forged residence permits, and visas through fictitious companies.
The gang is also implicated in forging documents from some banks, with the participation of Egyptian and Tunisian workers.
The Libyan Criminal Investigation Department, Joint Operations Force, and Anti-Terrorism Agency in Misrata are actively pursuing the criminal network.
Sources informed Libya Press that investigative operations and arrests of the network members are ongoing, in addition to the progress of the investigations by the Office of the Attorney General.
Last month, theAttorney General’s Office has ordered the detention of thirteen individuals involved in a criminal ring specializing in the forgery of official documents and the imitation of state and private entity seals.
According to a statement released by the Attorney General’s office on Sunday, the suspects deliberately falsified data in official documents related to tax, passport, nationality, and immigration affairs. As well as mimicking seals used by institutions and public entities to authenticate official status.
The Office further noted that the investigation uncovered the production of counterfeit seals resembling those of the state, which were then affixed to forged documents for the purpose of illegal gain.
In another context, Libya’s passport has been ranked as one of the ten least powerful globally, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index.
This index, which evaluates travel freedom, indicates that Libyan passport holders can access only 40 countries without a visa, positioning it alongside those from Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. This low ranking underscores significant geopolitical and economic challenges, reflecting Libya’s international relations and stability issues.
In a closely related issue, Libya’s economic woes continue to impact its workforce significantly.
Nermin El-Sharif, head of the General Union of Libyan Workers, told the Russian Sputnik News Agency, that Libyan workers face ongoing struggles due to endemic corruption that has infiltrated all sectors and layers of government for decades, even predating the 2011 uprisings. This corruption remains a major barrier to economic progress and stability, further complicating efforts to improve the country’s passport power.
