THE HAGUE // The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court sought warrants yesterday for the arrest of the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, his son and his brother-in-law for the brutal suppression of the uprising against his rule.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the ICC's judges to approve arrest warrants for Col Qaddafi, Saif al Islam and the military intelligence chief Abdullah al Sanussi for crimes against humanity.
Mr Moreno-Ocampo said there was "so much strong evidence" against the Libyan leader, who "had total control" and "used the entire Libyan system to commit the crimes".
In a thinly veiled warning to countries such as Syria and Yemen, where anti-government protests have led to bloodshed, he said the move stood as an example to "other leaders who are thinking of using violence to gain or retain power". Without a UN Security Council resolution like the one covering Libya, however, the ICC has no authority to investigate those countries.
The prosecutor said: "The evidence shows that Muammar Qaddafi, personally, ordered attacks on unarmed Libyan civilians. His forces attacked Libyan civilians in their homes and in the public space, shot demonstrators with live ammunition, used heavy weaponry against participants in funeral processions and placed snipers to kill those leaving mosques after prayers."
He described Col Qaddafi's son Saif al Islam as the country's de facto prime minister and said that Mr Senussi was the leader's "right-hand man, the executioner". He also said the crimes were continuing and the investigation may lead to charges of war crimes.
Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khalid Kaim, said earlier in the day that his country would "not show any attention to the decision".
There was some hope internationally that the additional pressure on Col Qaddafi could further undermine his rule. Franco Frattini, the foreign minister of Italy, said before the announcement that "the hours of the Libyan regime are numbered".
Messages from the inner circle of Col Qaddafi's regime suggest that many of his former supporters are looking for a way out for their leader, he said.
Italy is part of the Nato-led coalition that is involved militarily in Libya.
Other European countries used the ICC's move to send a message to Col Qaddafi's remaining followers. "The request for these warrants is a reminder to all in Qaddafi's regime that crimes will not go unpunished and the reach of international justice will be long," said William Hague, the British foreign secretary.
Mr Moreno-Ocampo said it was the duty of the Libyan authorities to implement the arrest warrants when they are issued, and speculated: "I think they will do it."
The request for an arrest warrant against Col Qaddafi comes on the heels of a new truce offer from his camp. In talks with the UN envoy Abdulilah al Khattib, the regime said it would call a ceasefire with rebel forces if Nato first stopped its bombing campaign.
The government has announced ceasefires in the past, but none has materialised. At least one opposition leader rejected the latest offer.
The case against the Libyan leader had gained momentum in recent days, prosecutors said earlier. "During the past week the Office of the Prosecutor received several calls from high-level officials in Qaddafi's regime willing to provide information," the office announced last week.
Investigators visited 11 countries, interviewed more than 50 witnesses and examined 1,200 documents, prosecutors said, but they did not visit Libya itself.
Mr Moreno-Ocampo paid special tribute to the people of the region for their help with the investigations. "Arab people in different parts of the world are playing a key role in exposing the crimes. The fear is not paralysing them," he said.
A panel of pretrial judges may take weeks or months to decide whether to issue the arrest warrants. It may also request more information from the prosecutor before it issues its ruling.
It is only the second time in the international court's nine-year history that the prosecutor has sought the arrest of a ruling head of state. ICC judges issued the first warrant in 2009, against Omar al Bashir of Sudan over violence in Darfur. The court has so far been unable to effect his arrest.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20profile
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5