Foreign minister in unscheduled departure for Libya

Foreign Minister Tonio Borg made an unscheduled departure to Libya yesterday, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson who was asked about the stalemate between the Maltese government and the Libyan national transitional council on the fate of the Maltese-chartered ferry MV Azzurra.

The shipping agents and owner of the Azzurra told MaltaToday they believe Borg left for Libya in a bid to secure the release of the Azzurra, which has been held in Tripoli for three weeks now.

Recent contacts between the two governments even saw Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi insisting on the unconditional release of the ship, which Tripoli harbour authorities kept under arrest over smuggling allegations.

Although the Azzurra's owners were told the NTC had ordered its release, the ship's captain has twice been denied the documentation necessary for him to leave port.

The impounding of the Azzurra, which transports an estimated €3 million in goods every week from Malta to Tripoli, is largely believed to have taken place upon reports by Libya's most prominent entrepreneur Husni Bey, who alleged that the ship could be carrying counterfeit or smuggled goods.

Bey alleged that Maltese-registered cars would leave the ship and enter Libya without compliance, avoiding taxes and duties, and distribute their goods, a claim which the Maltese government has vehemently denied with the NTC.

Bey has now told MaltaToday that even European Commissioner John Dalli called him up to talk about the matter, but in email to MaltaToday, Bey said he wants Azzurra's contractors to "apologise to the HB Group in writing, otherwise we will go after them at no matter what cost."

"I have read Maltese businessmen are mudslinging to protect their own crime and press the Maltese government to intercede [on behalf of] criminals," Bey wrote in the email.

"We can offer to help the authorities to investigate the crimes committed, it will take us a few hours to prove the wrongdoing, just by using a calculator and the ship logs. Lucky for the Maltese 'braggers', said to be businessmen, we are no prosecutors. Lucky for the ship operators, the authorities are not experienced in shipping and commercial fraud. If we want to be nasty, I can just walk into the proseuctor-general's office and offer our experience to prove beyond doubt the crime being committed..."

Husni Bey, chairman HB Group

Bey claims the goods transported on the Azzurra would have reached their expiry date, and include alcoholic beverages [Bey imports non-alcoholic Becks beer to Libya].

The ship's charterers Joe Zammit, the chairman of Zammit Group, and contractor Carmelo Dimech have denied the claims. "It is unbelievable that the ship was held simply because of allegations mentioned in a letter," Zammit said referring to Husni Bey's letter. "Irrespective of what cargo was being carried, it is not the ship's fault - if a passenger on a plane is found carrying illegal cargo, they arrest the person and not the plane."

Husni Bey has told MaltaToday it was his "duty as a citizen" to ask Libyan authorities to monitor the trade on the Azzurra ferry. "We reject any form of criminality in our, or your hands, including the smuggling of illicit products and subsidised Libyan diesel and fuel oils."

Bey is the chairman of HB Group, which with some 32 subsidiaries employing around 1,500, makes it easily Libya's largest private holding group. HB Group claims exclusive distribution rights for brands such as Procter & Gamble, Sony and Ferrero Rocher, products like Pringles, Nutella, non-alcoholic Becks an Ferrero chocolates.