Sanctions: US increases pressure on Libya

WASHINGTON – Increasing pressure on the Qadhafi regime, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of five senior Libyan government officials and two entities owned or controlled by children of Muammar Qadhafi pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13566. “We will continue to expose and impose sanctions on senior Libyan government officials who choose to remain at Qadhafi’s side,” said Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “They have a choice to make, and we will make that choice as stark as possible.” President Obama signed E.O. 13566 on February 25, 2011, freezing the assets of the Qadhafi regime following its use of violence against civilians and human rights abuses in Libya and safeguarding the assets of the people of Libya from expropriation by Qadhafi. To date, more than $34 billion in Government of Libya assets have been frozen, and 19 individuals, including senior government officials and family members of Qadhafi, have been designated for sanctions under E.O. 13566. As a result of today’s action, any assets of the designees subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in business with them. The following individuals were designated today for being senior officials of the Government of Libya:

• Ali al-Mahmoudi Al Baghdadi: Libya’s Prime Minister and member of Muammar Qadhafi’s inner circle.
• Shukri Ghanem: Libya’s Oil Minister and Chairman of the National Oil Company of Libya (NOC), identified by Treasury on March 15 as subject to sanctions for being owned or controlled by the Government of Libya. Ghanem has full responsibility for policies and operations of Libya’s petroleum sector.
• Abdulhafid Zlitni: Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Finance and Planning, Libya’s equivalent of Finance Minister. Zltini is currently acting as temporary head of the Central Bank of Libya. He was previously NOC Chairman.
• Tohami Khaled: Director of Libya’s Internal Security Office.
• Bashir Saleh: Head of Cabinet – or Chief of Staff – to Muammar Qadhafi. He is also the Chairman of the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP), identified by Treasury on March 15 as subject to sanctions for being owned or controlled by the Government of Libya.

The Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation and the Waatasemu Charity Association were also designated today. The Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation is a Geneva-registered organization founded in Libya in 1998 and incorporated in Switzerland in 2004. It was designated for being owned and controlled by Mummar Qadhafi’s son Saif Al Islam Qadhafi, who is the foundation’s President and a board member. Saif Al Islam Qadhafi was listed by President Obama in the Annex to E.O. 13566, along with his father. Waatasemu Charity Association was designated for being controlled by Aisha Qadhafi, Muammar Qadhafi’s daughter and Secretary General of the Libya-based organization. Aisha was also listed in the Annex to E.O. 13566. Identifying Information: Individual: AL BAGHDADI, Ali Al-Mahmoudi AKA: MAHMUDI, Baghdadi DOB: 1950 POB: Al Jamil, Libya Individual: GHANEM, Shukri Mohammed AKA: GHANEM, Shokri DOB: October 9, 1942 POB: Tripoli, Libya Individual: KHALED, Tohami AKA: AL-TUHAMI, Khaled AKA: KHALED, Al-Tohamy AKA: KHALED, al-Tuhami DOB: 1946 POB: Genzur, Libya Individual: SALEH, Bachir AKA: BASHIR, Bashir Saleh AKA: SALEH, Bashir DOB: 1946 POB: Traghen, Libya Individual: ZLITNI, Abdulhafid AKA: AL-ZULAYTINI, Abd-Al-Hafid Mahmud AKA: ZLEITNI, Abdel-Hafez AKA: ZLITNI, Abdelhafidh AKA: ZLITNI, Abdul Hafid AKA: ZLITNI, Abdul Hafiz AKA: ZLITNI, Abdulhafid Mahmoud DOB: 1938 POB: Tripoli, Libya Entity: Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation AKA: Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Organisations Address: Hay Elandadlus - Jian St, P.O. Box 1101, Tripoli, Libya Alt Address: 22 Rue Henri-Mussard, Geneva 1208, Switzerland Entity: Waatasemu Charity Association

Address: Omar Almukhtar Street, Tripoli, Libya?

Source: US Treasury