UK set to seize Gaddafi’s billions in London
By ANIFriday, February 25, 2011
TRIPOLI - Britain is expected to seize billions of pounds in assets that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan regime have deposited in London, within a few days.
Out of a total of around 20 billion pounds in assets of the Libyan regime in London, Gaddafi’s is expected to possess billions of dollars in bank accounts, commercial property and a 10 million pounds mansion in London, The Telegraph reports.
These assets are expected to be frozen as part of an international effort to force Gaddafi from power, the paper said.
A Whitehall source said: “The first priority is to get British nationals out of Libya. But then we are ready to move in on Gaddafi’s assets, the work is under way. This is definitely on the radar at the highest levels.”
Meanwhile, Gaddafi’s son, Saif, has urged former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to utilise his “diplomatic skills” in helping his father’s regime in ‘crushing their enemies’.
A close ally of Saif has reportedly urged Blair to help Libya to attain stability, saying: “He is peacemaker in the Middle East, and should be able to use his talents for peacemaking here. We need his diplomatic skills now as we set about crushing our enemies.”
“It is time for the international community to bring peace to Libya and Tony Blair could be at the forefront of this process. Tony Blair is a good friend who would put the country on a stable footing,” he added.
The official’s statement came amid warnings by MPs and critics that Blair, who is reportedly still a ‘good friend’ of the Libyan dictator, could be severely embarrassed if the Gaddafi regime collapses.
Yesterday, former Libyan Justice Minister Mohamed Mustafa Abud al-Jalil had claimed of having proof that Gaddafi had ‘personally given the order for the Lockerbie bombing’. (ANI)
