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AbdulMagid Breish, one of two rival chairmen of the Libyan
Investment Authority (LIA), said that while negotiations on
forming the government continue, it was "imperative" the LIA's
assets remained frozen to safeguard them against the threat of
"misappropriation and corruption".
About 85 percent of the fund's assets have been frozen since
2011 under sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security
Council.
Delegates from Libya's warring factions last week signed a
U.N.-brokered agreement to form a national unity government.
Libya remains divided between two rival parliaments. The LIA is
also mired in a long-running power struggle between Breish, who
claims to have been reinstated as head of the fund following a
decision by Libya's Court of Appeal and Hassan Bouhadi,
appointed by the government in the east.
"It would be dangerous, and deeply counter-productive, to let
the prospect of peace provide an excuse for unfreezing any of
the LIA's assets," Breish said in a statement.
"The international community, alongside and in support of all
Libya's independent institutions, must remain highly vigilant to
ensure that our country's wealth is preserved for all its
people," he added.
Representatives of Bouhadi did not immediately respond to emails
and calls from Reuters.
(Reporting by Claire Milhench; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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