In Libya, it is no longer a secret that the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to control the country’s budget and financial sector. It did not strive much to reach its goals, the road was open to loot everything. Through the leaders of extremist groups, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) controls most important positions in Libya and its economic institutions.
The MB controls the Central Bank of Libya, the Investment Corporation, the National Oil Corporation, and if they are not controlled through MB members, they are controlled through people loyal to them.
Most Prominent Positions Controlled by MB
The leaders of extremist groups control the most prominent positions in the Libyan state apparatus, specifically in Tripoli. They control the State Council headed by the former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Khaled Al-Mashri, as well as the National Oil Corporation headed by Mustafa Sanallah, who has intellectual affiliation with the group.
The MB also controls the Central Bank of Libya, the main key to get influence of the Libyan economy, as one leading MB figure in Libya was appointed to a high-level position in the Central Bank. The President of the Industrial River Corporation as well as other important positions in the Libyan Supervisory Authority and the Libyan Accounting Bureau were granted for people affiliated with the MB. Apart from their intellectual affiliation with the MB, all of these officials are from the western region of Libya, especially the cities of Misrata, Tripoli, and Zawiya.
Mustafa Al-Manea, prominent MB representative, is a member of the board of directors in the Libyan Investment Authority, Fathi Akoub is now the Secretary of the Central Bank in Tripoli, while Suleiman Abdel Qader Al-Libi Al-Sosari, also MB, was appointed as the Director of the Institute of Banking Studies.
Extremist and Internationally Wanted Militias
Many extremists affiliated with the MB, control other positions in the GNA, starting from MB leader Khaled al-Shareef, who previously occupied the position of Undersecretary of Defense. He was also in charge of the notorious Al-Hadba prison, where many figures of the Gaddafi regime were and are detained.
Abdul Raouf Karah, is another terrorist, controlling the Mitiga base and prison as well as the ports.
Many internationally wanted militia leaders are controlling many corporations that belong to the GNA, such as Bashir al-Baqara, who leads a militia that belonged to the GNA. Other militia leaders who control prominent positions are Salah Badi, internationally wanted, and Abdul Hakim Balhaj, who owns Wings Air, through which the officials of GNA travel to and from Libya in a secret flights.
The MB’s Arms
In a statement to the London-based Al-Arab newspaper, Mustafa Al-Zaidi, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Libyan National People’s Movement, said: “The wealth of the Libyan oil is managed by the MB through its representative in the Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sanallah.” Al-Zaidi indicated that the oil funds and savingsare going to the militias and for supporting terrorism.
Likewise, the head of the Liquidity Crisis Committee at the Central Bank of Libya, Rajab al-Agha, said in media statements that the GNA is handing over financial institutions to some MB leaders and that the Central Bank in Tripoli is controlled “by the arms of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya.” He stressed that the funds and savings of all Libyans go to finance armed militias and foreign mercenaries.
The problem in Libya is no longer only MB’s penetration into economic institutions, as this issue has become a reality. The problem is that the MB is part of the Turkish strategy by dominating the country. The MB believes that Turkey is the modern style of an Islamic renaissance. The fusion of the MB in the Turkish agenda led high-ranking Libyan MB leaders to call for granting Ankara economic privileges as a reward for what it does with them militarily in Libya, and marketing wise abroad.
When Ottoman Turkey Becomes a Sister
The first step was taken by Fayez al-Sarraj, who signeda memorandum of understanding together with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to which Ankara will be granted with unconditional concessions at the economic level, in relation to the movement across the Mediterranean for exploration, exchange, and other advantages. Perhaps the most important and the most dangerous is granting a Turkish company the right of controlling the customs of Tripoli port, so Turkey can gain large funds.
In another unsurprising step, the GNA Mufti, al-Sadeq al-Gharyani, called for granting Turkey the priority in economic and security projects in additional partnership in gas and oil projects.
“The sister Turkey should have primacy in our economic relations, our security cooperation, and what is related to oil and gas exploration, as it is more important than any other country,” Al-Gharyani said.
