Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s private plane landed in Istanbul twice in July last year. The Falcon 900 also landed during the same period in Abu Dhabi and then at the private Emirati airport Al Batine, reserved for business people. This private jet attracts the attention of “flight tracking” enthusiasts who monitor flights in real time and track their movements. Usually this plane is used by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, but more often and more it is used by his relatives for human trafficking and money laundering. This episode in Turkey comes a few weeks after Venezuela, where relatives of Haftar have exchanged dollars for gold bars.
It is mostly the Marshal’s sons, Khaled, Saddam, Al Siddik and a handful of nearby officers who use the Falcon to carry out their business. The goal, according to several specialists, was to “finance and preserve the political-military unit” set up by Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya.
“Business activism”
What did Khalifa Haftar’s private plane do in Turkey when President Erdogan and Marshal appear to be the worst enemies? Many in eastern Libya believe that this Turkish connection from the Haftar family is part of “business activism” to raise cash.
Is it the sale of Libyan gold? The hypothesis is widely shared in some circles in Benghazi.
Saddam Haftar is known for selling scrap metal and oil illegally to Turkey. According to a report by the UN expert group, this traffic had earned him 1.5 billion Turkish lira. Khalifa Haftar’s son had even met the Turkish intelligence chief before the May 2019 offensive launched to seize Tripoli.
Emirati banks
These disturbing connections for those close to Haftar are not limited to Turkey. Libyan gold would also be sold through Saddam Haftar to the Emirates for weapons, mercenaries and dollars. ANL’s banking agreements go through Khaled and Saddam Haftar’s accounts through Emirati banks.
Libya is the second largest reserve of gold in Africa. The Al-Owaynat mountain range, located on the border of Sudan and Egypt, provides a large deposit.
