Libyan Court of Audit Suspends Operations After Armed Men Storm Headquarters in Tripoli
The Libyan Court of Audit suspended its activities after armed men stormed its headquarters in Tripoli, in an attempt to impose an appointment of a deputy without legal basis, amid condemnation from the UN mission.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Tunis, Oct 21 (KUNA) -- The Libyan Court of Audit announced on Wednesday the suspension of its activities until suitable and safe conditions are available for carrying out its work, following the incursion of a group of armed men into its headquarters in the capital, Tripoli. In a statement, the Court said, “This decision is taken in order to safeguard the independence of our work and to ensure that our staff can exercise their supervisory duties in accordance with applicable legislation.” It clarified that the decision came after an armed group entered the Court’s headquarters “with the aim of imposing the appointment of a deputy head of the Court without a legal basis,” emphasizing that communications from the House of Representatives and the Supreme State Council specifically indicate the illegality of appointing a deputy head of the Court. The Court condemned the breach of its premises, stating that the incursion exposed its staff to danger and disrupted the stability and regularity of the work environment under unsafe and unstable conditions. It reaffirmed that “as the supreme supervisory institution entrusted with protecting public funds and monitoring the state’s financial conduct, the Court of Audit cannot exercise its functions under security conditions in which facts are imposed by force or legal procedures are replaced by armed coercion. Such circumstances require a clear institutional stance that preserves the Court’s independence and upholds the authority of the law and state institutions.” Earlier, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) strongly condemned the use of force and intimidation inside the Court of Audit’s headquarters in Tripoli in an attempt to impose the appointment of a deputy head of the Court, calling for an immediate halt to all forms of armed interference in the Court’s affairs and the immediate withdrawal of armed elements from its premises. The Mission considered the use of force to impose appointments within sovereign institutions to be completely unacceptable and a serious threat to the rule of law, the integrity, and the independence of these institutions. (End) S.B.M. / S.A.M.
