Washington tried to snatch Libya’s $1.5 billion to pay its National Transitional Council employees

The United States tried to seize on Monday $1,500,000,000 owned by the Libyan state, but at the last minute South Africa got in its way. The documents emanating from this episode, and unveiled by Voltaire Network, reveal that the members of the NTC and their staff are the direct employees of a US entity.


by Thierry Meyssan
Voltaire Network
18 August 2011


On Tuesday, 9 August 2011, Sana Khan, secretary of the Sanctions Committee established by resolution 1970 of the Security Council, transmitted to the Committee a notice from Ambassador Susan Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States before the United Nations.

In this letter, of which Voltaire Network has obtained a copy [downloadable document at the bottom of this page], Washington informed the Committee of its intention to unfreeze $1,500,000,000 belonging to the Central Bank of Libya, the Libyan Investment Authority, the Libyan Foreign Bank, Libya Africa Investment Portfolio and the Libya National Oil Corporation.

Arguing that the unfreezing is legal when the funds are intended for humanitarian or civilian ends (Article 19 of Resolution 1970 [1]), Washington indicated that it will unilaterally allocate this amount as follows:

$500,000,000 to humanitarian organizations of its choice “to address ongoing humanitarian needs and those that can be anticipated, in line with the call of the United Nations and its foreseeable updatesâ€