Libya's capital Tripoli - government ministers are being questioned about corruption. AFP
Libya's capital Tripoli - government ministers are being questioned about corruption. AFP
Libya's capital Tripoli - government ministers are being questioned about corruption. AFP
Libya's capital Tripoli - government ministers are being questioned about corruption. AFP

Libya orders arrest of second minister over corruption allegations


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Libyan prosecutors ordered the arrest of the country's culture minister as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the handling of state funds.

Culture Minister Mabrouka Touki was detained a week after Libya arrested its education minister in similar circumstances.

Prosecutors questioned Ms Touki and ordered her to be held on charges of “falsifying official documents to complicate the processes of review and oversight of public spending”, they said in a statement on Wednesday.

The charges relate to alleged corruption in the conduct of a contract for maintenance works on ministry buildings which were already refurbished.

Ms Touki, an academic with a degree in nuclear physics, was appointed minister in March as part of the country's interim unity government.

Her arrest came a week and a half after Education Minister Moussa Al Megarief was arrested in an inquiry into a lack of schoolbooks.

The prosecution service said it was investigating possible negligence in that case.

Libya plunged into a decade of chaos following the 2011 revolt that toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Its state institutions are riddled with corruption.

Libya planned to stage a presidential election on Friday in a United Nations-led effort to appoint a full-time unity government. The ballot was delayed to an unspecified date after arguments over divisive candidates and a disputed legal framework.

If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

RESULT

Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)

Updated: December 30, 2021, 4:48 AM