Niger workers forced to return home after their jobs were destroyed by the imperialist war against Libya. Millions of jobs were eradicated by the imperialists and their puppet NTC rebel forces., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Libya Finance Minister Threatens to Resign Over Wastage of Public Funds
11/05/2012 16:47:00
Citing a now-halted scheme to compensate former fighters and pressure from them for payment, Libya's interim finance minister Hassan Ziglam said Thursday he would resign soon because of "wastage of public funds".
He was quoted telling Reuters in an interview, that he could not keep working in the circumstances. "There is a wastage of public money because nobody fears God," Ziglam said.
Asked when he would hand in his resignation, he said "soon", but did not elaborate.
In April the Libyan government halted a scheme to pay compensation to people who fought in last year's uprising that eventually ousted former dictator Muammar Gaddafi from power after 42 years of rule, because it found it riddled with corruption and cash was being meted out to to people who did not qualify.
At the time, it also prompted a National Transitional Council spokesman saying that a list of those eligible under the scheme - which paid out 1.8 billion dinars ($1.4 billion) in less than three months - included people who were dead or who had never taken part in the fighting against the Gaddafi regime.
Ziglam told the news agency that the decision to pay compensation to former rebel fighters was made before the current interim government was appointed in November. He said he stopped the payment of 1.3 billion dinars. He also mentioned inconsistent lists for those who were due to receive payment.
Last Tuesday, disgruntled militiamen attacked the office of interim prime minister Abdurrahim el-Keeb demanding cash or jobs in recognition of the role they played in last year's revolt to oust Gaddafi. El-Keeb called those taking part in the clashes that left a man dead and several others injured, “outlaws”.
Referring to this week's attack on the government's headquarters, Ziglam said: "They came with weapons. How can you work in such an environment?"
The payment for former fighters is not the only scheme to have been halted.
Earlier this year, the government also cancelled a scheme by which payments were being made to former fighters that was providing free overseas medical care for the uprising's wounded.
The programme turned out to be riddled with fraud after it was discovered that the government was paying air fares, medical and hotel bills of people who had simply obtained faked documents claiming they were wounded.
Libya is currently preparing for next month's general election to choose an assembly to draft a constitution and people - and prospective candidates - have until May 15 to register to vote.
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