On Tuesday, Canadian police reported that two former United Nations employees in Montreal are facing charges for allegedly conspiring to sell Chinese-made drones and military equipment in Libya.
According to RCMP spokesman Sgt. Charles Poirier, the accused, Fathi Ben Ahmed Mhaouek, 61, and Mahmud Mohamed Elsuwaye Sayeh, 37, purportedly violated U.N. sanctions related to the Libyan civil war while working at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) between 2018 and 2021.
The alleged offenses involved attempts to sell Chinese military equipment, including large drones capable of carrying multiple missiles, to Libya through shell companies.
“What we found is that through some shell companies, they attempted to sell this Chinese military equipment to Libya, which is a direct violation of the regulation,” Poirier said.
“The second part of this scheme was to export Libyan oil to China,” Poirier said. “So at the time, the oil fields were under the control of Gen. Khalifa Hifter and the plan was to sell millions of drums of crude oil to China without anyone knowing about it.”
Poirier stated that the regulation prohibits supplying military equipment to any factions involved in the Libyan conflict, with the aim of benefiting one of the primary factions led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter.
Mhaouek, a Canadian citizen, was apprehended at his residence in the Montreal suburb of Ste-Catherine, Que., while Sayeh remains at large. A Canada-wide warrant and an Interpol red notice have been issued for Sayeh’s arrest.
Police have no idea of the whereabouts of Sayeh, a Libyan national.
“He could be in Libya, but with the level of influence and the networking that these men had working at ICAO, he could be anywhere,” Poirier said.
While investigators have no evidence that the military equipment or crude oil reached their intended destinations, they estimate that the conspirators could have gained millions of dollars in commissions if successful.
The investigation commenced in 2022 after the RCMP received credible intelligence, leading to charges once ICAO waived the diplomatic immunity of the accused.
In an emailed statement, the UN’s civil aviation agency affirmed its dedication to adhering to Canadian laws, U.N. standards, and its internal ethics code.
Melissa Enoch
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