Minister of Oil, Mohamed Aoun, commented on the appointment of Arkenu Company, stating:
“I am not fully aware of all the details of this matter because I was at the Ministry of Oil in 2023 when the Board of the National Oil Corporation decided to assign Arkno to participate in the production of the Al-Sarir and Msella fields, as well as three other smaller fields. For the record, the Tripoli Court of Appeal invalidated all actions by Farhat Ben Gdara because he is not Libyan.
When this decision was referred to the government, the Prime Minister issued it in his name without presenting it to the Cabinet, and without even sending a copy to the competent Minister of Oil and Gas as required under Articles 2 and 17 of Oil Law No. 25 of 1955 (attached). Additionally, paragraph 8 of Article 2 of Decision No. 232 of 2021, approving the organizational structure of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, stipulates that the Minister must authorize the corporation to invest in petroleum resources. This has been a repeated violation by the head of the corporation, its board, and the Prime Minister—an unprecedented and blatant breach of laws and regulations.”
Aoun continued: “Regarding cancellation, the Board of the National Oil Corporation has the authority to decide. However, the Prime Minister should first revoke his decision, even though it violates all laws. Administratively, assuming the action was correct, he must cancel it first. In a previous instance, when they raised the issue in a meeting with the Prime Minister, he claimed to have issued decisions to cancel the agreement, but the head of the corporation informed him that they had received a message from the government’s legal department to continue. How can there be such confusion? Violations of laws and regulations are clear. Cancelling this agreement would increase the country’s daily oil revenue by more than 100,000 barrels. May God help us.”
