LONDON: He once seemed untouchable but since his arrest in London on Sunday, Alexandre Djouhri, the wealthy tycoon and middleman accused of funnelling money from the Qaddafi family to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has lost his sheen of invincibility.
The 58-year-old French-Algerian has refused a summons for questioning by French judges investigating a four-year-old inquiry into allegations by former Libyan regime members, including Muammar Qaddafi’s son, Seif Al-Islam, that he passed tens of millions of euros from the family to Sarkozy during his successful 2007 presidential campaign.
Officers were waiting for Djouhri with a European arrest warrant when he landed at Heathrow Airport. He was detained on suspicion of fraud and money laundering.
He was released on bail following a hearing at a UK court on Wednesday, and ordered to make a £1 million security payment. He has been instructed to stay at his daughter’s flat in London ahead of a formal extradition hearing set for April.
Coverage of the case has peeled back some of the layers surrounding Djouhri’s activities as an intermediary between members of the French political establishment and the Libyan regime under former leader Qaddafi.
His dealings with North Africa date back two decades when he began facilitating business transactions involving water systems, rubbish collection and oil for French environmental services group Vivendi Environment (now Veolia).
Monsieur Alexandre, as he was known, had close links with France’s right-wing elite, in particular former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who, according to sources quoted by Spanish newspaper Público, brought him along to talks in Tunisia between Libyan regime loyalists and rebel forces, shortly before the final offensive that ousted Qaddafi in 2011.
Djouhri has also been linked to former IMF chief and politician Dominique Strauss Kahn. An attempt by French news magazine Paris Match to compile a profile on him prior to the events which resulted in the end of the Libyan civil war, were allegedly halted by a spokesperson for Strauss Kahn.
Of most interest to investigators looking into Monsieur Alexandre’s Libya links is his relationship with Sarkozy. At this point another character emerges onto the scene, one of Djouhri’s rivals, a French-Lebanese businessman named Ziad Takieddine.
It was after claims made by Takieddine — that he had delivered €5 million from Qaddafi to Sarkozy — that inquiries into the former president’s campaign fund were stepped up.
During an interview with Mediapart published in November 2016, Takieddine — described as an arms dealer and intermediary — recounted in detail how he carried three suitcases full of cash from Tripoli to Paris ahead of the campaign in 2007, handing them over to Sarkozy and his chief of staff at the time Claude Guéant, another of Djouhri’s close connections in the upper echelon’s of France’s political establishment.
During his dealings with Sarkozy, Djouhri also played an instrumental role in brokering an agreement to release Bulgarian nurses being held in Tripoli and acted as a mediator in the divorce settlement between the former president and his then-wife, Cecilia Sarkozy (now Attias).
French authorities investigating the Qaddafi funding allegations are also inquiring into the sale of a villa in 2008 believed to have been owned by Djouhri.
The property, a dilapidated residence in south-east France with an estimated value of €4.4 million, was sold at the vastly inflated price of €10 million to a Libyan investment fund managed by Qaddafi’s former chief of staff Béchir Saleh.
Investigators are exploring the possibility that the excess funds were funnelled into the Sarkozy campaign.
“There’s always a fear, or a suspicion in Libya that individuals like Béchir Saleh will be able to use the resources that have been moved out of Libya under the regime to fund their political campaigns and their activities within Libya now and in the future,” said Tim Eaton, a research fellow at Chatham House specializing in the Middle East and North Africa.
“That’s why people do look closely at these things because we are talking about significant amounts of money that could make a real difference.”
Little is known of Djouhri’s upbringing or how he accumulated his vast personal wealth. He was born in Saint Denis, a poor suburb of the Parisian banlieue and is now a resident of Geneva, Switzerland.
But his rise to the top of French political circles, was evident last month when he attended a dinner with President Emmanuel Macron in Algiers.
The middleman in spotlight over Qaddafi-Sarkozy funding allegations
The middleman in spotlight over Qaddafi-Sarkozy funding allegations
Two British MPs detained by Israel, British foreign minister says
JERUSALEM: Israel has detained two British members of parliament visiting the country as part of a parliamentary delegation, British Foreign Minister David Lammy said in a statement on Saturday.
“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British Parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support,” Lammy said.
Tunisia shuts down large migrant camps
- The camps had prompted anger from residents in nearby villages, raising pressure on the authorities
EI AMRA, Tunisia: Tunisia has dismantled camps housing thousands of undocumented migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, police said, following a campaign against them on social media.
Around 20,000 migrants had set up tents in fields in the eastern regions of El-Amra and Jebeniana, said national guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli.
He said around 4,000 people of various nationalities had left one of the camps cleared by authorities, and operations would continue over the coming days.
Some of the migrants had “dispersed into the countryside,” with pregnant women and the infirm taken care of by the health authorities, he added.
The camps had prompted anger from residents in nearby villages, raising pressure on the authorities.
Jebabli said locals had taken legal action over the occupation of their olive groves by the migrants.
“It was our duty to end all the disorder,” he said.
Tunisian President Kais Saied on March 25 called on the International Organization for Migration to accelerate voluntary returns for irregular migrants to their home countries.
In recent years, Tunisia has become a key departure point in North Africa for migrants crossing the perilous Mediterranean Sea in hopes of reaching Europe.
Italy has agreements with Tunisia and Libya to provide funding in exchange for help stemming departures.
Italy plans to invest €20 million ($22 million) in a new project to help Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia send irregular migrants from their territories back to the migrants’ countries of origin.
The government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to cut irregular migration to Italy’s shores from North Africa — the majority of whom depart from Libya and Tunisia.
But many of the migrants who depart hail from other countries, especially sub-Saharan African countries.
Italy’s new plan “focuses on strengthening the institutional and administrative-managerial capacities of the partner countries,” with the involvement of 400 officials, Italy’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a recent statement.
Irregular migration would be better addressed “through the improvement and development of assisted voluntary repatriations from Algeria, Libya and Tunisia to the countries of origin,” it said.
It said the project would collaborate with the IOM to ensure migrants’ rights.
The ministry said the plan would benefit “around 3,300 of the most vulnerable migrants, carrying out their repatriation to their countries of origin sustainably and effectively.”
It said Italy’s Agency for Development Cooperation, which helps carry out development activities, would provide technical support.
The agency has also been charged with another plan targeted at the “socio-economic reintegration of returning migrants,” tapping Italian companies and civil society groups, it said.
On Wednesday, Libyan authorities said they would suspend the work of 10 international humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, accusing them of a plan to “settle migrants” from other parts of Africa in the country.
Israeli general condemns West Bank settler riot, ‘vandalism’ by troops
- Major General Avi Bluth addressed a “series of unusual incidents” while visiting Israeli police officers in the West Bank
- Bluth “emphasized that these are exceptional incidents that must be addressed with the necessary severity“
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: The Israeli military’s top commander in the occupied West Bank condemned recent violence by Israeli settlers against police and “unacceptable” conduct by soldiers, in a video shared by the army on Friday.
A military statement said that Major General Avi Bluth addressed a “series of unusual incidents” while visiting Israeli police officers in the West Bank, near the site of a riot involving settlers earlier this week.
Israeli police said they had arrested 17 suspects over the “violent riot” on Wednesday near the settlement outpost of Givat Habaladim, northeast of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, during which Israeli settlers threw stones at officers and torched a police car.
Bluth “emphasized that these are exceptional incidents that must be addressed with the necessary severity,” the military statement said.
Referring to the settlers’ attack on Israeli forces, Bluth said in the video: “Beyond the fact that this is a red line that has been crossed and will be dealt with seriously, there is no greater act of ingratitude.”
Rights groups often accuse the army of protecting Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and the United Nations has said that settler attacks against Palestinians are taking place in a climate of “impunity.”
In a recent incident Bluth did not address in the video, the army said that this week “dozens of Israeli civilians... set fire to property” in the Palestinian village of Duma, injuring several people.
The Israeli general mentioned “vandalism and graffiti” by reserve soldiers during a military raid on Wednesday, in the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem.
While a major offensive since January has focused on refugee camps in the northern West Bank, Dheisheh in the south has seen an uptick in Israeli army raids in recent weeks.
Images shared on social media showed vandalized apartments, where furniture was broken and Israeli nationalist slogans spray painted on walls.
Bluth said that “the conduct in Dheisheh by our reserve soldiers is not what we stand for.”
“Vandalism and graffiti during an operational mission are, from our perspective, unacceptable incidents. It is inconceivable that IDF (army) soldiers do not act according to their commanders’ orders,” he said.
Since war began in October 2023 in the Gaza Strip — a separate Palestinian territory — violence has soared in the West Bank.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 917 Palestinians, including militants, in the West Bank since October 2023, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
Palestinian attacks and clashes during military raids have killed at least 33 Israelis, including soldiers, over the same period, according to official figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, home to about three million Palestinians, since 1967.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, around 490,000 Israelis live there in settlements and outposts that are illegal under international law. Outposts are also illegal under Israeli law.
Macron to hold Gaza summit with Egyptian, Jordanian leaders
- The French president is expected in Cairo on Sunday evening
- The trilateral summit will be held the same day
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he would hold a trilateral summit on the situation in Gaza with Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Israel has pushed to seize territory in Gaza since the collapse of a short-lived truce in its war with Hamas, in what it has called a strategy to force the militants to free hostages still in captivity.
Simultaneously, Israel has escalated attacks on Lebanon and Syria.
“In response to the Gaza emergency and during my visit to Egypt at President El-Sisi’s invitation, we will hold a trilateral summit with the Egyptian president and the King of Jordan,” Macron wrote on X ahead of his trip.
The French president is expected in Cairo on Sunday evening, where he will hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart on Monday morning.
The trilateral summit will be held the same day in the Egyptian capital, according to Macron’s office.
On Tuesday, Macron will also visit the Egyptian port of El-Arish, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the Gaza Strip, to meet humanitarian and security workers and demonstrate his “constant mobilization in favor of a ceasefire.”
El-Arish is a transit point for international aid intended for Gaza.
Libya’s anti-NGO push seen as diversion from internal failures, analysts say
- Anas Al-Gomati, director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute think tank, said “this isn’t about NGOs — it’s about creating enemies to distract from failures“
- Libya analyst Jalel Harchaoui noted that the Tripoli government is adopting a similar tone to Tunisian President Kais Saied
TUNIS: Libya’s suspension of 10 international humanitarian groups, part of a broader crackdown on African migrants, is aimed at masking domestic failures and securing external concessions, particularly from Europe, analysts have said.
Libya’s Tripoli-based authorities announced on Wednesday a decision to suspend the Norwegian Refugee Council, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Terre des Hommes, CESVI and six other groups, accusing them of a plan to “settle migrants” from other parts of Africa in the country.
War-torn Libya is a key departure point on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast for migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, risking dangerous sea voyages in the hope of reaching Europe.
Anas Al-Gomati, director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute think tank, said “this isn’t about NGOs — it’s about creating enemies to distract from failures.”
The UN-recognized government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah is “tapping into conservative anxieties while masking their inability to provide basic services,” he told AFP.
Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
The ultimate goal, according to Gomati, is to “extract concessions from Europe which, fearing potential migration surges, will offer new funding packages and prop up the government in Tripoli.”
On Wednesday, Rome announced the allocation of 20 million euros to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to finance “voluntary repatriations” for 3,300 sub-Saharan migrants who arrived in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.
“This isn’t coincidence — its coordination. The Libyan authorities shut down NGOs providing monitoring and protection (for migrants) precisely as Italy announces 20 million euros for ‘voluntary’ returns,” said Gomati.
“Italy gets to claim they’re funding ‘voluntary’ returns while Libya gets to demonstrate ‘sovereignty’, all while vulnerable migrants face extortion in detention before being labelled ‘volunteers’ for deportation.”
Libya analyst Jalel Harchaoui noted that the Tripoli government is adopting a similar tone to Tunisian President Kais Saied, who in early 2023 denounced what he called “hordes of sub-Saharan migrants” who threatened to “change the country’s demographic composition.”
Harchaoui, of the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said Dbeibah was facing considerable difficulties, particularly in gaining access to public funds, and his once pragmatic relationship with the Haftar family in the east had deteriorated.
The two rivals had previously struck a kind of non-aggression pact in exchange for sharing oil revenues.
“In its bid to assert control and project strength, the Dbeibah government has turned to demonizing sub-Saharan migrants and denouncing NGOs,” Harchaoui said.
This aims to “show who’s in charge in Tripoli and create the illusion that he is curbing migration flows.”
Exiled Libyan human rights activist Husam el-Gomati said on X that “this crackdown appears not only to limit the influence of these organizations but also to prevent the documentation of human rights violations and delay any potential punitive measures against militia leaders involved in these abuses.”
Various reports from the United Nations and NGOs such as Amnesty International have denounced the arbitrary detentions of government opponents, journalists and lawyers in recent months, as well as abuses against migrants, including the discovery of mass graves.
Following the NGO ban, aid groups have expressed concern for both their Libyan colleagues and the migrants who have been made more vulnerable in a country that, according to the IOM, is home to more than 700,000 residents from sub-Saharan countries.
The International Commission of Jurists on Friday condemned the “recent collective expulsions, arrests, violent attacks and the surge of hate speech, including that which constitutes incitement to violence, against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya.”
The organization noted that the Libyan interior ministry has pledged “the deportation of 100,000 migrants every four months.”
