Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1141804
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JULY 2019 MATTHEW VELLA THE Maltese courts were the site of a confrontation be- tween the lawyer of the fam- ily of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and the Libyan state entity seeking the release of millions in cash held inside Bank of Valletta. The Gaddafis are fighting a claim from the Libyan At- torney General to release a reported €90 million held in Bank of Valletta in the name of Muatassim Gaddafi, one of Gaddafi's sons, which were managed by the accountant Joe Sammut, a former Labour Party treasurer. Charilaos Oikonomopoulos, the Gaddafis' lawyer, put up a defence of "infamously cruel" playboy Muatassim Gaddafi, insisting that his Malta cash were his private funds and not government monies. "You've been trying to prove that the provenance of his funds was illicit… there has not been a single clue of a sin- gle time of any amount com- ing from any official or related Libyan business," the Greek lawyer told the Libyan AG's lawyer in Malta. "These funds were private funds, having nothing to do with the Libyan state." Oikonomopoulos and law- yer Simon Micallef Stafrace are tasked by Gaddafi's widow Safia Ferkash to prevent the Libyan state from obtaining the release of the funds, held by a Maltese company called Capital Resources and Mezen International. But he gave the Libyan AG's lawyer in Malta, Shaheryar Ghaznavi, little information about what the money Gaddafi had, was being used for. "I'm sorry. I think you have to make a trip to Paradise to ask the account holder," Oikono- mopoulos retorted. "I cannot [ask] God [what] this money was for. I can tell you [where] this money was coming from… business he was doing with in- ternational businessmen… "He had no position in the government… the money in the accounts were com- ing, I'm assured and I'm con- vinced, from private business," Oikonomopoulos said of Muatassim Gaddafi, who died at the Battle of Sirte after be- ing captured by anti-Gaddafi forces on 20 October, 2011. He was later executed along with his father. He was 36. In recent court sittings, Ghaznavi questioned Bank of Valletta employees about the level of due diligence carried out for one of the companies opened by Gaddafi's repre- sentatives. According to a BOV employ- ee, Gaddafi's representative Saleh Drah was introduced to the bank by Joe Sammut, for a meeting with then CEO Charles Borg. According to the employee, Ray Aquilina, due diligence on the company Capital Resources was based on the bank's prior knowledge of Gaddafi's activity from an- other company account he held at the bank. The United Nations panel of experts in Libya has been analysing the bank accounts of Capital Resources and Mezen International. Capi- tal Resources had at least €55 million transferred to it from Mezen. But the main source of funding for Mezen was a third company, Moncada In- ternational, which in 2010 transferred over €40 million to Mezen. Libya's claims are being opposed by Safia Farkash Gaddafi, the 66-year-old wid- ow now living in Oman with sons Hannibal and Moham- mad, and daughter Aisha. Gaddafi's name at Bank of Valletta and in the Maltese registrar of companies was never made obvious, since it was represented as "Muata- simbllah Muammar Abumin- yar". The movements of cash were sporadic both before and af- ter the revolution in February 2011. Two weeks after the 17 February revolution, two pay- ments were made of €73,832 and €60,000 under the de- scription 'Settlement LISA' and 'Settlement ALAG'. In the proceedings, Oikono- mopoulos also claimed that Muatassim Gaddafi had an- other heir: his hitherto un- known wife Lisa van Goinga, a Dutch glamour model, and her son. But Oikonomopoulos has so far presented no proof of marriage or paternity in court. Under Islamic law, van Goinga would be entitled to one-eighth of her alleged hus- band's wealth; her son would inherit the lion's share. Additionally, Muatassim Gaddafi had various Visa platinum accounts, holding €122,770, €84,587, a €22,403 Bank of Valletta gold Visa, and another BOV platinum hold- ing €61,118. The accounts were used to settle bills at luxury locations, such as the five-star Four Sea- sons hotel on Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour; €4,890 spent in one night at the leg- endary Parisian luxury night- club L'Arc Paris; €4,500 spent at the Rival Deluxe restaurant on Champs Elysée, and a stay at the Hotel Le Bristol, where rooms go for over €900 a night. NEWS Professional Officer - Legal Procurator Jobplus Permit Number – 544/2019 In possession of a valid warrant to practice as a Legal Procurator in the Courts of Malta and Gozo. Having previously worked in other legal roles will be considered an asset. Knowledge of the laws and regulations governing land ownership in Malta & Gozo shall be considered as an asset. CAREER OPPORTUNITY WE ARE RECRUITING ESSENTIAL Qualifications Experience Interested persons are kindly requested to submit a letter of application and a detailed CV only by email, as one pdf document to: hr.la@landsauthority. org.mt by Monday 29th July 2019. Emails are to indicate the position being applied for and the name of the applicant in the subject. Applications will be acknowledged and treated in strictest confidence. For more information visit the link below: https://landsauthority.org.mt/about-us/careers/ Lands Authority is seeking applications from interested persons to fill the following position: Gaddafi lawyer insists BOV cash is not Libya's Muatassim Gaddafi (above) is believed to have held some €90 million in three companies with BOV accounts. His Maltese handler was Joe Sammut (left), who is currently charged with creating false companies to facilitate visas for Libyan residents in Malta