Gaddafi's son may be arrested for his connections with Wagner PMC

According to the BBC, the Libyan prosecutor's office issued a warrant for the arrest of Gaddafi's son, who was suspected of having ties to Wagner's PMC. According to Bloomberg, Russia hopes to ensure that he wins the presidential election in December rbc.ru.

The Libyan prosecutor's office has issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam Gaddafa, the son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafa, on suspicion of having ties with Wagner's private military campaign (PMC), the BBC reports.

Military prosecutor Mohammed Garuda sent an arrest warrant for Gaddafi's son to the Libyan security authorities on August 5, but the decision was made public only after the release of an investigation by the BBC, whose journalists obtained access to a tablet and documents allegedly belonging to one of the PMC fighters who allegedly fought in Libya.

During the filming of a film about the activities of the PMC in Libya, journalists met with representatives of Libyan intelligence, who told about the ties of Gaddafi's son with Moscow and called him "the preferred candidate for Russia as the ruler of Libya." According to intelligence officials, Gaddafi met several times with Russian Maxim Shugalei and his translator Samer Sueyfan. They were detained in Libya in May 2019. Bloomberg also wrote that they tried to arrange a meeting with the son of Muammar Gaddafa, who was considered a potential candidate for the post of president of Libya. On December 10, 2020, Shugaley returned to Russia after his liberation.

Presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya are scheduled for December 24. As Bloomberg writes, they "should have been a key element in restoring stability" after long years of civil war, but instead risk provoking even greater chaos "as outside forces seek to advance their preferred candidates." The agency, citing three sources, reports that Russia is trying to ensure that Gaddafi's son comes to power.

According to the interlocutors of the agency, Russia is putting pressure on the commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, to support the candidacy of Gaddafi's son. Other Bloomberg sources in Libya report that the 77-year-old general himself wants to run for the presidency.

The agency writes that the victory of Gaddafi's son will strengthen Russia's influence in the Middle East. The Kremlin did not respond to the agency's request to comment on Russia's policy regarding the elections in Libya.

Haftar's representative Ahmed al-Mismari said that the decision on whether Haftar will nominate his candidacy has not yet been made. He rejected suggestions that someone is trying to put pressure on the commander of the LNA.

Russia has levers of influence on Haftar, but the nomination of Saif al-Islam for the post of president would be a "serious mistake", because his election will lead to serious hostilities, Tarek Megerysy, senior researcher of the program on North Africa and the Middle East, told the agency of the European Council. "He will win with a small advantage, and the revolutionary groups will immediately start a war," he said.

Shugaley, in response to Bloomberg's questions, said that Russia's goal is to ensure a "strong government" in Libya. He rejected the idea of ​​an alliance between Haftar and Saif as "unlikely".

RBC sent a request to the press service of the President of Russia.

The Times reported in June that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was going to participate in the elections. According to Gaddafi's advisers, he will not be able to officially announce his candidacy until the election law is ratified, as his opponents may try to add a clause to it that prohibits Gaddafi's son from running for office.

After the overthrow and murder of Muammar Gaddafa in 2011, it was not possible to form a single governing body in Libya, and a civil war began in the country. A dual government was established in the country: on the one hand, it was the Government of National Accord (GNA), recognized by the UN, and on the other, the interim government supported by Haftar. In June 2020, the LNA was expelled from Tripoli after the intervention of Turkey. In October of the same year, the PNS and the LNA signed an agreement on a ceasefire and the preparation of a peaceful settlement of the conflict with the help of elections.

The USA and a number of other countries have repeatedly accused Russia of participating in the Libyan conflict, in particular, they have claimed the presence of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner PMC in the republic. The Russian authorities deny their involvement in what is happening in Libya.