The Libyan Minister of Oil and Gas, Mohammed Oun, announced his objection to the approval of the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation, Farhat Bengdara, to a request to purchase operational materials from an Emirati company worth $10 million, without obtaining the ministry’s approval, calling on the Central Bank to cancel it.
Oun's objection came in a letter addressed to the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Al-Siddiq Al-Kabir, in which he considered that Bengdara's approval of the Sirte Oil and Gas Production and Manufacturing Company’s request to purchase operational materials from the "Mediterranean Company" (based in Dubai) “in violation of the legislation regulating the oil sector.”
Oun added that the Sirte Company’s request and the approval of the head of the National Oil Corporation is considered “a clear violation and disposal of public funds other than what they were allocated for.”
"They are also in violation of the text of Paragraph (7) of Article (23) of Resolution (10) of 1979 regarding the reorganization of the National Oil Corporation and Article (24) of the same resolution.” Oun explained.
He said that this action would need to be approved by the Minister of Oil and Gas if he agreed to the recommendation, “which was not done,” pointing out that Bengdara “has continued to violate the laws regulating the oil sector and ignored the Ministry of Oil and Gas.”
Earlier this month, Libyan Mufti of Libya, Sheikh Al-Sadiq Al-Gharyani, expressed his surprise at the National Oil Corporation's depositing $10 million in the account of the "Mediterranean Company", which is headquartered in Dubai.
