Page 7 - DMEA Week 38 2021

DMEA POLICY & SECURITY DMEA

Sanalla to remain in

place as NOC chairman

AFRICA LIBYA’S Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah without first obtaining permission from his
has taken action to ensure that Mustafa Sanalla, ministry.
the long-time chairman of Libya’s National Oil He claimed that Sanalla had violated Oil Min-
Corp. (NOC), will remain at his post. istry policy and was not authorised to act as the
According to a report from Bloomberg, Dbei- head of NOC while traveling abroad. Addition-
bah issued a decree stating that Sanalla would ally, he named Jadallah al-Awkali, a member of
continue to act as the head of NOC. NOC’s board of directors, as interim chairman.
The prime minister outlined his decision in For his part, Sanalla responded by rejecting
a decree dated September 14, the news agency Oun’s decision, saying that the minister had not
said, adding that it had not been able to view the been given the legal authority to appoint a new
document until September 19. leader for the national oil concern.
NOC has hailed the decision, saying in a His remarks were in keeping with Libya’s
statement dated September 20 that it was pre- long-standing practice of treating the position of
pared to move forward and pursue co-opera- NOC chairman as a sovereign post that requires
tion with the Oil Ministry in order to serve the the approval of other political bodies, such as
national interest. the Parliament. Oun, however, has insisted that
It also said that it hoped the ministry would his ministry has jurisdiction over the choice of
work with the company to ensure that NOC was a chairman.
able to secure the government funding needed Sanalla has served as chairman of NOC since
to keep production levels up and continue the 2014 and has tried to keep the company from
repair and rehabilitation of Libya’s oil and gas becoming entangled in the political disputes that
infrastructure. arose during Libya’s long civil war.
Sanalla’s position has been under threat since Oun, meanwhile, took the helm of the newly
late last month, when Oil Minister Mohamed reconstituted Oil Ministry in March of this year
Oun issued a letter declaring that Sanalla had as a member of the country’s interim unity gov-
been suspended and was under investigation. ernment. Since then, he has sought to expand
In the letter, Oun wrote that he was sus- the ministry’s jurisdiction over the oil and gas
pending the NOC chief for leaving the country industry.™

Week 38 23•September•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P7