Militias seized Central Bank governor’s car in Tripoli as part of payback

The car in which Central Bank governor Josef Bonnici was being escorted in was seized by members of the Zintan militias, in Tripoli on Sunday, the Libya Herald has confirmed.

A group from one of the Zintan militias, Brigade 14, which was assigned to protect the Algerian-Libyan borders, seized a number government vehicles in Tripoli on Monday.

These included cars belonging to the protocol department as well as police vehicles.

The Zintanis say they have done so 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.

A Ministry of Interior source put the total number of cars held by the brigade at 33. He said that there are ongoing negotiations between brigade members, government officials and the army to facilitate the return of the vehicles.

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.  They first went to the Ministry of Defence headquarters, then to the Prime Minister's Office. When they did not receive what they considered a satisfactory response to their demands, they decided to take the law into their own hands.