The capture yesterday of Muammar Qaddafi's son, Saif Al Islam, has reduced the chances of a loyalist insurgency, while creating a potential custody battle among Libyan forces and the International Criminal Court.
Saif Al Islam was arrested near the southern town of Obari by fighters from the mountain town of Zintan, according to Libyan officials and militia leaders cited by Reuters news agency.
The head of the brigade which arrested Saif Al Islam said he asked his captors "to fire a bullet to my head and take me [dead] to Zintan".
Held yesterday in Zintan, Saif Al Islam's fate remains unclear. Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) and the ICC both want him for trial, while Zintan militiamen planned to detain him until a new government is formed.
Prime minister designate Abdurrahim El Keib is scheduled to form that government by Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Libya is under pressure to ensure that the 39-year-old be treated humanely after the apparent battlefield executions last month of his father and his brother, Muatassim.
Luis Moreno Ocampo, the ICC's prosecutor, said yesterday that he would travel this week to Libya for talks with NTC authorities on where Saif Al Islam might be tried.
The ICC has accused Saif Al Islam, along with his late father and former security chief Abdullah Senoussi, of crimes against humanity.
Saif Al Islam has denied the charge and had sought in recent weeks to negotiate his surrender directly to the ICC.
However, Libya's interim leaders may decide whether to release him to ICC custody, Mr Ocampo said yesterday in remarks quoted by the Associated Press.
"The good news is that Saif Al Islam is arrested, he is alive, and now he will face justice," Mr Ocampo said. "Where and how, we will discuss it."
The European Union, which includes Nato members and early NTC allies France and Britain, urged Libya's interim government yesterday to work with the ICC to ensure Saif Al Islam a fair trial.
The call for a fair trial was echoed by Lt Gen Charles Bouchard, the Canadian military commander who led Nato's mission in Libya in support of the revolt that brought down Muammar Qaddafi's four-decade rule.
Saif Al Islam's arrest "is critical in that it helps this country bring closure," Gen Bouchard said, quoted by Agence France-Presse. He added that Libya's new rulers must show "their ability to exercise legitimacy through the proper conduct of law and order and a fair trial."
Human Rights Watch yesterday called on Saif Al Islam's captors to turn him over to the ICC and questioned their ability to guarantee humane treatment, citing alleged abuses in post-Qaddafi Libya and the killings of Muammar and Muatassim Qaddafi.
Muammar Qaddafi was captured last month by militiamen from the city of Misurata as he fled his hometown of Sirte. While video footage showed him injured but alive at the time of capture, he was killed later that day by a gunshot to the temple.
Muatassim Qaddafi was also killed about the same time, with video footage that showed him in captivity and in good health.
Saif Al Islam's capture leaves Mr Senoussi, the former security chief, as the only senior regime figure still at large.
NTC officials have indicated that Saif Al Islam might be tried in Libya with ICC observers.
"We Libyans do not oppose the presence of international monitors to monitor trial procedures that take place for the symbols of the former regime," interim justice minister Mohammed Alegui told Al Jazeera TV.
Another possibility is to try Saif Al Islam in Libya for alleged theft of public money before surrendering him to the ICC to answer charges of ordering lethal crackdowns on unarmed demonstrators, Reuters reported, citing NTC officials.
Before any trial can take place, Saif Al Islam must be transferred to NTC or ICC custody by the Zintan militiamen who held him as of yesterday evening.
The NTC has struggled to rein in the dozens of militias that arose after revolt broke out in February.
While Zintan militiamen have said that they will surrender Saif Al Islam to an interim government, militia leaders from the town have also publicly questioned the NTC's authority in recent months.
Among Libya's more powerful militias, Zintan forces took part in the assault on Tripoli that drove Muammar Qaddafi from power in August and later fought loyalists in the south-western desert.
It was in that desert yesterday that Zintan militiamen apprehended Saif Al Islam and two aides as they prepared to flee across the border to Niger, said militiamen quoted by Reuters.
"They couldn't get away because we had a good plan," said militiaman Wisam Dughaly. "He was not hurt and will be taken safely for trial so Libyans will be able to prosecute him and get back their money."
Long seen as a reformer who clashed at times with his father, Saif Al Islam transformed seemingly overnight into a regime stalwart in February.
In a televised address, Saif Al Islam, who once studied at the London School of Economics, warned Libyans of "rivers of blood" should they threaten his father's rule.
Saif Al Islam slipped out of Tripoli as the city fell to rebel militias and was later rumoured to be in Bani Walid.
By yesterday evening he was aboard an aircraft bound for Zintan, according to a Reuters reporter who travelled with him.
Heavily bearded and with his right hand injured in what he indicated was a Nato air strike last month, Saif Al Islam was asked by Reuters if he felt all right.
"Yes," he said.
jthorne@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting from Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Switch%20Foods%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Edward%20Hamod%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Plant-based%20meat%20production%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2034%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%246.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Based%20in%20US%20and%20across%20Middle%20East%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
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.”
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
