News / International
UK seizes USD162 Million worth of Libyan dinars
04 Mar 2011 at 14:23hrs | Views
Libyan currency worth £100m ($162m; 200m Libyan dinars) has been impounded from a ship, the UK Home Office has said.
The ship was intercepted by UK authorities after heading back to British waters following an aborted attempt to dock at Tripoli.
The money, which was printed in north-east England and impounded at Harwich, has been taken to a secure location.
The Home Office said the cargo, "a significant quantity" of Libyan currency, is subject to a UN sanction.
A Home Office spokesman said the vessel returned to the UK on Wednesday after initially heading to Libya.
"A number of containers were offloaded from the boat and have been taken under control of UK Border Agency and have been moved to a secure location," he said.
It is thought that the unnamed ship failed to berth in Tripoli last weekend because her crew believed it was too dangerous.
HMC Vigilant, a cutter, escorted the ship back to the UK.
It comes amid continued unrest in Libya where rebels have seized control of much of the country in an effort to end Col Gaddafi's 41-year rule.
Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's £900m of UK-based assets were frozen by Chancellor George Osborne last weekend.
And, in line with UN sanctions, the UK has also banned the unlicensed export of any uncirculated Libyan banknotes from Britain.
The UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose sanctions on the Libyan leader's regime for its attempts to put down the uprising.
It backed an arms embargo and asset freeze while referring Col Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.
The UN estimates more than 1,000 people have died as a result of the regime's attempts to quell the revolt.
The ship was intercepted by UK authorities after heading back to British waters following an aborted attempt to dock at Tripoli.
The money, which was printed in north-east England and impounded at Harwich, has been taken to a secure location.
The Home Office said the cargo, "a significant quantity" of Libyan currency, is subject to a UN sanction.
A Home Office spokesman said the vessel returned to the UK on Wednesday after initially heading to Libya.
"A number of containers were offloaded from the boat and have been taken under control of UK Border Agency and have been moved to a secure location," he said.
It is thought that the unnamed ship failed to berth in Tripoli last weekend because her crew believed it was too dangerous.
It comes amid continued unrest in Libya where rebels have seized control of much of the country in an effort to end Col Gaddafi's 41-year rule.
Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's £900m of UK-based assets were frozen by Chancellor George Osborne last weekend.
And, in line with UN sanctions, the UK has also banned the unlicensed export of any uncirculated Libyan banknotes from Britain.
The UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose sanctions on the Libyan leader's regime for its attempts to put down the uprising.
It backed an arms embargo and asset freeze while referring Col Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.
The UN estimates more than 1,000 people have died as a result of the regime's attempts to quell the revolt.
Source - BBC
