Libya’s Oil and Gas Minister Arrested on Corruption Charges Amid Leadership Dispute

The Attorney General’s Office ordered the arrest of Khalifa Abdul-Sadiq, the Minister of Oil and Gas in the Government of National Unity, on Wednesday, on charges of financial corruption.

The Office reported that Abdul-Sadiq had deliberately pressured the corporate accounting officer to approve a document authorizing the transfer of 457.6 million euros to a foreign company, in violation of existing legislation.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, investigations revealed that “the Minister engaged in actions that conflicted with his official duties.”

Abdul-Sadiq, who was previously the Deputy Minister of Oil and Gas, was temporarily appointed to manage the ministry during the precautionary suspension of Minister Mohammed Oun, as ordered by the Administrative Control Authority. However, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah directed him to continue as Minister and not to hand over the ministry to Oun, even after the suspension was lifted, allowing Oun to return to his position.

Oun had previously called on Prime Minister Dbeibah to take a clear stance—either by reinstating him to his position or officially dismissing him in accordance with existing laws and regulations. Oun noted that his potential dismissal stemmed from his patriotic stance on matters that conflicted with Libya’s interests.

In a statement published on the Ministry’s official Facebook page, Oun warned of the severe damage caused by the presence of two ministers for the oil sector. He highlighted that some international companies, such as Schlumberger, had threatened to withdraw due to this situation. Oun also expressed dissatisfaction with the actions taken by Acting Minister Khalifa Abdul-Sadiq, accusing him of disrupting the ministry’s workflow and hindering its development efforts.