The Head of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), Ali Mahmoud Hassan, said that he had received threats and blackmail messages from Prince Laurent of Belgium with the aim of pressuring him to settle the alleged debts of the Belgian prince to the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture, Africa Report website said, adding that the Belgian Royal Palace refused to comment on these accusations.

Hassan explained the newspaper that's affiliated with the French magazine Jeune Afrique that the Belgian prince used his influence and directed the authorities to issue an order to arrest him, circulating the order through international cooperation mechanisms with the aim of restricting his freedoms despite the fact that there is no relationship by the LIA or him with the alleged debts.

He also rejected the accusations and measures taken against him, saying he and his family were subjected to damage due to the threats and subsequent measures.

Belgian authorities submitted a request to the Security Council Sanctions Committee at the beginning of 2021 with the aim of granting Prince Laurent his alleged debts from the LIA frozen funds at Euroclear Bank in Brussels, which the Security Council rejected.

Hassan confirmed that he personally objected to this request at the Security Council, which refused to grant permission to the Belgian authorities to use the LIA funds for the benefit of the Belgian Prince.

He added that the LIA is a sovereign fund that operates at the international level and he will spare no effort to defend its rights.