Financial Crime World

Title: Customs Officials and Bank Executives Detained for LD 1.2 Billion Letter of Credit Fraud in Libya

Customs Officials and Executives Detained

The Libyan Attorney General’s Office announced the detention of:

  • Customs officials at Ras Jadair border crossing
  • Executives from the Al-Yaqeen bank

They were taken into custody on charges of documentation fraud worth over LD 1.2 billion.

False Imports and Parallel Market Gains

Seventeen customs officers were detained, including:

  • Head of Ras Jadair customs center
  • Directors of Audit and Procedures Department

They are accused of forging customs documents to indicate false imports by seven commercial companies. In reality, no such imports took place:

  1. Deception enabled companies to gain roughly LD 91 million in foreign exchange
  2. Exchange was traded on the parallel market to collect revenues

Defective Credits at Al-Yaqeen Bank

Investigations revealed:

  • Bank’s leadership facilitated economic wrongdoing for 49 companies
  • Total value exceeded USD 20 million
  • Defect in credit issuance: LD 1.2 billion issued outside standard system

Imprisonment Orders Issued

  • Head of Ras Jadair customs center, directors detained
  • Chairman, deputy, and 7 key personnel of Al-Yaqeen Bank arrested

They are responsible for managing compliance, banking operations, external operations, credit issuance, and review at the bank.