IRA victims ask UK not to allow Libya access to frozen £12bn

The government has been urged not to allow Libya to unfreeze £12bn of assets in the UK until it settles a compensation claim by victims of the Semtex it supplied to the IRA.
By Philip Bradfield
Published 25th Aug 2020, 06:30 BST
Updated 25th Aug 2020, 09:40 BST
Then Prime Minister Tony Blair in May 2007 meeting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at his desert base. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PAThen Prime Minister Tony Blair in May 2007 meeting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at his desert base. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Then Prime Minister Tony Blair in May 2007 meeting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at his desert base. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Libyan dictator Col Gaddafi supplied weaponry and Semtex to the IRA, the victims of which are seeking compensation in line with what Libya has already given to French, German and US victims.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of MPs at Westminster recommended the government compensate the victims itself and then pursue Libya for the damages, however the government, unusually, decided to reject the select committee recommendation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The £12bn of assets were frozen in the UK under UN direction as they were linked to the Gaddafi family.

MPs: Government must pay all Libya-IRA terror victims

Libya-IRA terror: Claims that investments in UK settled compensation for victims rejected

“Once again Libya is asking the United Nations to release assets to the Libyan Investment Authority which are currently frozen in London,” UUP peer Lord Empey said. He noted the UK can veto the release of the assets at the UN.

“The question is, will London take a stand on behalf of the victims of Gaddafi fuelled terrorism and insist on a deal with Libya to compensate our victims, just as other countries have done, or will they cave in and once again throw our victims to the wolves?”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He noted that the letter from London law firm McCue & Partners (whose two leading lawyers led the Omagh bomb civil action) to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab MP, calling on the government to fight for the victims.

On August 20 London law firm McCue & Partners wrote to Mr Raab making the same case as Lord Empey, after news broke that Libya plans to ask the UN to allow Libya to invest billions of pounds currently frozen in the UK.

“A failure by HM Government not to seize this opportunity [for victims] would be an abdication of its duties and responsibility to the UK victims” the firm told Mr Raab.

Innocent Victims United, an umbrella group representing many Libya-IRA Semtex victims across the British Isles also backed the call.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Spokesman Kenny Donaldson said: “It would be unforgivable were the Government to green light the request made by Libya in the absence of a full agreement on the compensating of Gadaffi’s victims created through IRA terrorism,” he said.

Jonathan Ganesh, chairman of the Docklands Victims Assocation in London added: “Our government must make a moral stand for the all UK victims of terrorism at the UN. The US, France and German governments fought for their victims of Gaddafi sponsored terrorism but sadly our government told their victims to fight for themselves.”

In 2018 the Libyan Embassy told the News Letter it had closed the file on its IRA links on the basis of “great” investments in Britain. The Government responded that it could not disclose such “commercially sensitive” information.

A Foreign Office Spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting the victims of these horrific attacks and continue to believe the Libyan Government has a responsibility to address their claims.”

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor