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Malta demands Libyan explanation on Central Bank governor incident in Tripoli
Militias seized Central Bank governor’s car in Tripoli as part of payback.
14 June 2012, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Central Bank governor Josef Bonnici.
The Maltese government has requested "an immediate explanation" from the Libyan government on an incident in which Central Bank governor Josef Bonnici's protocol car was stopped and seized by militiamen outside Tripoli, on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the foreign ministry confirmed that since the incident, the government had requested that the Libyans offer an official explanation for a harrowing episode in which Bonnici's car was stopped by heavily armed militiamen as he was on his way to Tripoli from the airport.
The car in which Bonnici was being escorted in was seized by members of the Zintan militias on Sunday.
A group from one of the Zintan militias, Brigade 14, which was assigned to protect the Algerian-Libyan borders, seized a number government vehicles because of the government's failure to settle their financial entitlements.
Bonnici was one unintended victim of the seizures on Sunday afternoon, after arriving on a flight from Malta for meetings with officials from the Central Bank of Libya.
Met at the airport by Maltese Ambassador Victor Camilleri, he set off to his hotel in a vehicle from protocol accompanied by another in tow. At a checkpoint on the airport road set up by the brigade, the drivers of the two cars were stopped and ordered to pull over to the side. It is thought that the brigadesmen there were specifically waiting for the two protocol cars.
"There then followed a discussion among brigade members, presumably about whether or not they should take the cars. In they end they decided to do so. The bank governor was politely but unceremoniously told to get into the ambassador's car which formed part of the convoy. He was then allowed to continue his journey to the hotel," the Libya Herald reported.
The seized vehicles were then taken away to add to the Zintanis' collection. They are now being held at the brigade's Tripoli quarters near the airport road. It is reported that they were seized after the group left the Algerian-Libyan border zone and headed for Tripoli to demand the money.
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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Just five months ago we were told of Gonzi's new "regional authority" incidentally coined by a MT journalist. The Maltese now expect proof of this honourable title. We shall wait and see.
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Come on Tonio show us you are not a dummy minister. This is why you have been appointed a minister: to act on behalf of all of us Maltese on crucial moments like this!
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Pity you Franco - what GONZIPN ahs to do with this !!! poor comments galore
Joseph MELI •
Demand all they want but do you think that this technocrat government will respond as they are merely Gaddafi-clones who are in power without the mandate or approval of the Libyan people .Sad to say, but Malta needs Libya more than the other way around so we best be careful what we demand.
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In Libya's case it is 'from the frying pan into the fire'.
Igor P. Shuvalov •
Probably the only credible reply that the Libyan Government can give is that they do not have real control on the various groups which helped in the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime.
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Is this the way Maltese Citizens are going to be treated by our neighbours the Libyan People. Is it one of the ways to show how greatful these people are towards the Maltese?
Did they forget what we did for them quite recently? Was Col Gaddafi a dictator or are we experiencing what is the meaning of it now?
Was the murdering of Saddam and Gaddafi a good thing for their respective contries. Are these unfortunate people in a better mess now. were they on a lesser mess before?
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Way to go Tonio Borg, give the libyans hell and declare war if they do not come up with a credible excuse. We cannot have our illustrious citizens of such caliber being bullied by gun totting gangsters who we helped fight Gadaffi. Seems gonzipn's efforts only impressed a handful of libyans, so much for world leader.
