The Sanction Monitoring Board has urged economic operators to closely monitor and record the activities of people and businesses named on the US Treasury’s Libya fuel-smuggling list.

Former Malta international football player Darren Debono and three other Maltese people were listed by the US Treasury in a new round of sanctions targeting oil smugglers in Libya and aimed at blocking the exploitation of natural re-sources driving instability in the North African State.

Scoglitti restaurant was among the business ventures named on the list. Photo: Facebook/Scoglitti

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned six people, 24 companies and seven vessels in a move that banned Americans from engaging with those targeted and froze any related property under US jurisdictions.

It slapped sanctions on Mr Debono, Gordon Debono, Rodrick Grech, Fahmi Ben Khalifa, Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan Ahmed Arafa and Terence Micallef, accusing them of involvement in the smuggling of petroleum products from Libya to Europe.

READ: US sanctions came as 'a surprise' to Malta's police force

The sanctions board strongly recommended that all economic operators and financial institutions in Malta exercise enhanced due diligence when dealing with the individuals, entities and bodies listed by OFAC and with assets belonging to them.

He said parts of a UN report could be removed thanks to someone close to Economy Minister

Financial institutions should ensure they kept an up-to-date record of all assets, funds and economic resources held with them by the people, entities and bodies in question, the board advised.

Among the businesses hit with sanctions was the popular Valletta seaside restaurant Scoglitti, owned by the ex-footballer.

About 80 million kilos of fuel worth about €30 million are believed to have been shipped to Italy from Libya via Malta in 30 tanker trips.

Sicilian prosecutors allege that BNF Bank in Malta was used by Darren Debono and “mafia associate” Nicola Romeo to receive and pass on money to a Tunisian bank, which then transferred proceeds to Mr Khalifa.

Money, they also claim, was filtered to Gordon Debono’s local company through the Malta-based Satabank.

The Sicilian authorities intercepted Darren Debono’s telephone calls over a two-year period. In one of the calls, he allegedly suggested that certain incriminating parts of a damning UN report into the fuel-smuggling ring could be removed thanks to the help of someone close to the Economy Minister.

A spokeswoman for the ministry described Mr Debono’s claim as “baseless”.