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Libya's Ex Oil-chief Ghanem Under International Warrant Days Before His Death

Libyas Ex Oil-chief Ghanem Under International Warrant Days Before His Death
dj
Τετ, 23 Μαΐου 2012 - 17:48
Interpol issued an international request to arrest Libya's ex-oil minister Shokri Ghanem in connection with an anti-corruption investigation in his home country, days before his body was found in the River Danube in Vienna, according to a document issued by Interpol headquarters.
Interpol issued an international request to arrest Libya 's ex-oil minister Shokri Ghanem in connection with an anti-corruption investigation in his home country, days before his body was found in the River Danube in Vienna , according to a document issued by Interpol headquarters.

The Arabic-language document, dated April 25, was issued by Interpol's secretariat general and includes a serial number for a red notice--an official request for any member of Interpol to arrest Ghanem, the former head of Libya 's National Oil Co. Ghanem was found dead April 29.

Ghanem is "a fugitive person wanted for trial," according to the document seen by Dow Jones Newswires. It asks to "arrest him in order to hand him over" to Libya , with Egypt , the United Arab Emirates , Qatar and Austria mentioned as possible countries where he could be found.

A spokesman for Libya 's Interior Ministry confirmed Ghanem "was on the list" of individuals whom Libya had sought arrest through Interpol.

"There was a red notice" for Ghanem, he said. ?Ghanem had always protested he was innocent.

The document said the Libya 's prosecutor's office had initially made the request and Ghanem stood accused of "fraud of public money...causing intentional damage to public money..interfering in incomes...making illegal gains and abuse of power."

It is unclear, however, whether Ghanem would have been detained following the emission of the red notice. No national warrant was issued against Ghanem in Austria , the country where latterly he lived and eventually died, a spokesman for that country's Interior Ministry said, referring to Interpol on the international request of arrest.

A red notice doesn't force Interpol members to take an individual into custody and its enforcement typically depends on bilateral relations--such as extradition agreements--between the country seeking arrest and the one where the wanted person resides, a person familiar with the red-notice process said. A spokeswoman for Interpol referred comment to the country made the request for the red notice.

Once a prime minister, Ghanem defected from the regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi last year, protesting bloodshed. But he remained unpopular with many Libyans and hadn't joined the new government.

An autopsy showed Ghanem had drowned, but a spokesman for Vienna prosecutor's office said it had yet to reach final conclusions on his death.

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