The governor of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL), Saddek Omar Elkaber [al-Sadiq al-Kabir] (pictured), has reportedly been dismissed by the elected parliament on Sunday.
According to a report from Reuters, he had failed to attend a session of the House of Representatives (HoR) to discuss alleged financial irregularities at the central bank.
The dismissal leaves deputy governor Ali al-Hibri in charge until a successor is appointed. Elkaber is currently in Algiers for a conference of Arab central bank directors.
The report also quesstions how the House of Representatives would implement its decision, as it is now sitting in Tobruk in the far-east of the country, with Tripoli under the control of the old, Islamist-dominated, General National Congress (GNC).
Middle East Eye reports that the motion passed with a majority of 94 of the 102 votes cast, following a power struggle between the HoR and the GNC; Elkaber had previously accused his deputy, al-Hibri, of transferring 80m Libyan dinars ($65.3 million) from the account of the GNC to that of the HoR without his permission, and had stopped the transaction.
According to AFP, the case against Elkabir is being referred to the prosecutor general.
(Source: Reuters, Middle East Eye)
