Embattled Libyan prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is expected to fly to Malta today for talks with the government amid tensions following an upsurge of fighting in Tripoli in recent days.
Dbeibah is set to hold talks with Prime Minister Robert Abela and will be joined by the governor of Tripoli’s central bank.
Government sources said that while there is no fixed agenda, the Libyan leader is expected to discuss Libyan monies that were held at the now-shuttered SataBank.
The former St Julians bank is being liquidated and its clients' funds are being held at Malta's central bank.
There may be other money on Dbeibah's mind.
In 2019 Times of Malta had revealed how authorities seized $1.1 billion in a parallel Libyan currency, printed in Russia.
Two 2,000-cubic-foot containers packed full of the currency were discovered at Malta Customs and to date have not been released.
In a separate case in June, a Maltese court ordered Bank of Valletta to return over €90 million linked to the heirs of deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. That case, however, is still the subject of an appeal before the courts.
Sources said there is an "eagerness" on the Libyan side for direct flights between Malta and Libya to commence.
Dbeibah’s visit comes at a tumultuous time in Libya.
Libya’s Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is to hold talks with Prime Minister Robert Abela today. Photo: AFPClashes between backers of rival administrations killed at least 32 people and sparked fears of major new conflict in recent days.
Armed groups exchanged fire that damaged several hospitals and set buildings on fire starting overnight Friday into Saturday, the worst fighting in the Libyan capital since a landmark 2020 ceasefire.
By Sunday, the situation had calmed down with grounded flights resuming and some businesses re-opening their doors on Monday.
The fighting came after months of mounting tensions between backers of Dbeibah and his rival Fathi Bashagha, whose respective administrations are vying for control of the oil-rich North African country.
Dbeibah’s administration was installed in Tripoli in the country’s west as part of a United Nations-led peace process last year.
He has so far prevented Bashagha from taking office there, arguing that the next administration should be the product of elections.
Bashagha was appointed by Libya’s eastern-based parliament earlier this year. He is backed by powerful eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar, whose 2019 attempt to seize the capital by force turned into a year-long conflict.
Bashagha, a former interior minister, had initially ruled out the use of violence to take power in Tripoli but subsequently hinted that he could resort to force.
Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising, with myriad armed groups and foreign powers moving to fill the power vacuum.
Certain armed groups, seen as neutral in the latest crisis, returned to support Dbeibah this weekend to push back Bashagha’s second attempt to enter the capital.
Both sides exchanged blame on Saturday while world powers appealed for calm.