Summary:

On 23 March 2025, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) denounced reports claiming that Libyan officials of the state-run firm were responsible for oil smuggling and money laundering operations.

The reports were purportedly based on leaks from the United Nations (UN) Security Council Sanctions Committee and were published by multiple media outlets. The NOC responded by stating that the reports lacked accuracy and credibility.

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Meanwhile, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed alarm over arbitrary arrests and detentions by law enforcement agencies and security forces targeting legal professionals and members of the judiciary.

A month prior, the Internal Security Agency rejected claims from a UN experts report about ongoing arbitrary detentions.

In the meantime, Lawyers for Justice in Libya and the International Commission of Jurists called the UN Human Rights Council to take urgent action to establish an international follow-up mechanism to investigate ongoing human rights violations in Libya.

Outlook: 

Libyan institutions are likely to seek avoiding sanctions by resisting allegations of corruption and human rights abuses committed by official agencies despite widespread understanding that such activities continue.

The pressure from UN committees and NGOs is likely to provoke a hostile attitude toward UNSMIL from Libyan institutions and leaders who have rejected the body as emblematic of foreign interference in Libyan affairs. Such attitudes could weaken the impact of mediation between rival actors in Libya and hinder the political process.

Also, allegations of rights abuses and corruption are likely to worsen the political reputation of Libyan institutions negatively impacting the business environment which has recently shown signs of re-opening to international investment. However, such signs of instability will force international investors to continue to calculate the political, reputational, and security risks of operating in Libya.

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