Ocampo seeks Gaddafi’s arrest

THE HAGUE, Thursday

War crimes court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has asked Interpol to help with the arrest of fugitive former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for crimes against humanity, his office said on Thursday.

“The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is requesting Interpol to issue a red notice to arrest Muammar Gaddafi for the alleged crimes against humanity of murder and persecution,” it said in a press release.

An Interpol red notice seeks the arrest for an extradition or surrender of a person to an international court based on an arrest warrant.

The prosecutor is also requesting red notices for the arrest of one of Gaddafi’s sons Seif al-Islam and his intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, it added. (READ: ICC issues arrest warrant for Gaddafi, intelligence chief)

Meanwhile, Gaddafi dismissed as lies on Thursday reports he had fled to Niger, as the central bank said the fugitive ex-leader had sold more than 20 per cent of the country’s gold in his regime’s dying days.

With remnants of Gaddafi’s battered forces pinned down, Libya’s new leadership and the United States called on neighbouring countries to close their borders to Gaddafi stalwarts.

The former leader, whose whereabouts are unknown, remained defiant in his first address for several days, telling his countrymen: “They have nothing else to resort to apart from psychological warfare and lies.”

Speaking by telephone on the Damascus-based Arrai Oruba television channel, he added: “They last said Gaddafi had been seen in a convoy heading towards Niger.

“They want to weaken our morale. Do not waste time on this weak and Gaddafi also said Nato, which has been carrying out daily air raids against his forces under a UN mandate since March 31, “will be defeated” as its “logistical capacities will not allow it” to press on.

“We are ready in Tripoli and everywhere to intensify attacks against the rats, the mercenaries, who are a pack of dogs,” he said.

Since his Tripoli headquarters was overrun on August 23, Gaddafi has made several appeals for resistance in tapes aired by Arrai, which is run by former Iraqi Sunni MP Mishan al-Juburi.

Gaddafi sold around 20 percent of Libya’s gold reserves, worth more than $1 billion, in the final days of his regime, the country’s central bank governor said on Thursday.

Mr Qassem Azzoz said 29 tonnes of gold — worth 1.7 billion dinars — were sold to local merchants beginning in April as the sanctions-hit regime sought to gather much-needed cash.

The price represents a significant discount on current international spot prices. “The gold was liquidated in order to pay salaries and to have liquidity, in Tripoli in particular,” Azzoz said.

According to central bank officials some of the gold likely made its way out of the country to neighbouring Tunisia and beyond, circumventing international sanctions.

As Libya’s financial system creaks back to life after months of sanctions and war-caused closures, the hunt is now on for billions of dollars in assets that are thought to have been squirreled-away by Gaddafi and his regime.

While Azzoz said the official balance sheet of the central bank was largely in tact with $115 billion in holdings — $90 billion of which are held abroad — he said billions were likely hidden off the books.