China, with the help of corrupt United Nations officials, tried to send $1 billion worth of drones to Libyan warlords under the guise of COVID-19 aid, according to Canadian government investigators.
New court documents accuse Chinese state officials of conspiring to cover up a $1 billion deal to provide 42 drones to Libya’s General Khalifa Haftar through UN officials, and arms shipments are linked to coronavirus outbreaks. It will be marked as viral infection support.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police discovered an alleged conspiracy to sell Libyan oil to China and buy drones between 2018 and 2021 through FBI intercepts.
“The Chinese government appears to have approved a strategy to support the procurement and delivery of Libyan military equipment through designated and approved companies in order to obscure the agency’s direct involvement,” the investigators said.
Two Libyans working in Canada for the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, were charged in April with complicity in the scheme. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for spring.
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This accusation was first reported by defense news, These are some of the documents filed in a Montreal court to obtain a warrant to access the people’s phones.
Libyan security forces stand guard in Tripoli, Libya, August 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad)
“This plan appears to be a deliberate attempt to circumvent the United Nations sanctions in force at the time,” the report said.
Haftar, the recipient of the drone, is a Russian-backed strongman who controls eastern Libya. He tried to take control of western Libya in 2020, but failed. The purpose of the drone transport was “to take advantage of the war and bring it to a quick end” without attracting the attention of the international community, the investigators said, adding: “The fight against the coronavirus.” ‘ was featured on the cover.
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One of the Libyans involved in the plot, Fatih Ben Ahmed Maoek, was arrested, while the other, Mahmoud Mohamed Elswei Saye, remains at large.
On August 1, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army Honor Guard of Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, holds a flag-raising ceremony at Bayi Square to celebrate the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. (Ma Yue/VCG, Getty Images)
Court documents also accuse U.S. citizens, who have not been charged, of being involved.
“My client will maintain his innocence. He denies all wrongdoing,” said Canadian Mauek lawyer Andrew Barbacchi.
Investigators said that in May 2020, Sayeh sent a message to Chinese Foreign Ministry officials requesting a meeting in Egypt between the Chinese ambassador and Major General Aoun al-Ferjani, a Libyan military official close to Haftar. revealed.
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In the message, the drones are “clearly described as having weapon, attack, and lethal strike capabilities.”
Investigators are unsure whether an agreement was reached or whether negotiations failed.
Italian authorities announced in July that they had seized a Chinese military drone that was heading to Benghazi, Libya, in violation of a United Nations embargo.
