Libyan PM came for millions in frozen deposits… but he left empty handed

Officially, Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah visited Malta last month to hold talks on energy and business cooperation but he was also hoping to negotiate the release of millions of euros in frozen Libyan bank deposits.

Government sources say he was left “disappointed” when Prime Minister Robert Abela privately turned him down.

It is understood Dbeibah was particularly interested in securing Libyan money once held at the now shuttered Satabank, which have not been cleared for release.

Sources said Dbeibah asked for the Satabank funds, amounting to more than €10 million, to be returned during a tete-a-tete with Abela on August 31.

The former St Julian’s bank is being liquidated and its clients’ funds are being held at the Central Bank of Malta. Funds are being gradually returned to depositors but not where there are red flags or suspicion of impropriety.

Dbeibah travelled to Malta together with the governor of Tripoli’s central bank, Al-Siddiq Al-Kabir who also held a separate meeting with his Maltese counterpart, Edward Scicluna.

Sources said the Libyan premier was not only interested in Satabank funds. In June, a Maltese court ordered Bank of Valletta to return over €90...