The member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsalam Nassiya, confirmed in press statements the postponement of Tuesday’s scheduled hearing session, which was expected to be attended by the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya.
Nassiya criticized Governor Naji Issa's apology for not attending the session, particularly in light of the difficult economic conditions the country is currently facing.
In a Facebook post, Nassiya argued that Naji's participation in the Article IV consultations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) instead of appearing before parliament reflects “the subordination of sovereign state institutions to external actors."
"Article IV consultations are simply the submission of economic data and information to the IMF team. Is that more important than presenting the same data to the House of Representatives and the Libyan people?” He added, saying that “a lack of loyalty to local institutions undermines the value of any economic reform.”
On Monday, several local media outlets quoted unnamed sources stating that Governor had informed the Speaker of the House of Representatives that he was traveling on an official mission to attend an expanded meeting with the IMF mission. This, according to the sources, would prevent him from attending Tuesday’s parliamentary session.
The sources indicated that the meeting is of significant importance and requires the presence of the Governor, his deputy, the heads of the Central Bank branches in Tripoli and Benghazi, and representatives of relevant Libyan ministries and institutions.
