Investigator uncovers China tried to smuggle drones to Libya maskd as COVID aid

China finisheavored to sfinish $1 billion worth of drones maskd as COVID-19 aid to a Libyan military directer thraw the aidance of corrupt U.N. officials, according to a Canadian rulement spendigator. 

New court write downs accengage Chinese state officials of conspiring to hide the $1 billion deal to present 42 drones to Libyan General Khalifa Haftar thraw U.N. officials, who would tag the arms shipments as COVID-19 aid. 

Thraw FBI intercepts, Canada’s Royal Mounted Police set up alleged plots to sell Libyan oil to China and to buy drones from 2018 to 2021. 

“The Chinese rulement seems to have apshowd a strategy to aid Libya in the protreatmentment and dedwellry of military providement thraw set upated and apshowd companies to muddle the honest joinment of rulement agencies,” the spendigator stated.

Two Libyan nationals toiling in Canada at the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency, were accused with consillicit copying for the scheme in April. A preliminary hearing is foreseeed in the spring.  

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The accusations, first telled by Defense News, are part of write downs produceted in court in Montauthentic to get permits to access the phones of the men joind. 

“This scheme ecombines to be a intentional finisheavor to circumvent U.N. sanctions that were in effect at the time,” the tell said. 

Haftar, who getd the drones, is a Russia-backed strongman who deal withs easerious Libya. He unsuccessbrimmingy tried to seize deal with of weserious Libya in 2020. The aim of the drones’ shipment was “‘using war to finish war speedyly’ without enticeing the attention of the international community,” said the spendigator, inserting “the fight agetst the Coronaharmful software” was engaged as cover. 

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One of the Libyan nationals joind in the scheme – Fathi Ben Ahmed Mhaouek – was arrested while the other, Mahmud Mohamed Elsuwaye Sayeh, is still at big. 

The court write downs also accengage a U.S. citizen, who has not been accused, of joinment.

“My client will pdirect not culpable – he denies all wrongdoing,” said Mhaouek’s lawyer in Canada, Andrew Barbacki.

Investigators uncovered a May 2020 message from Sayeh to an official at the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs asking a greeting in Egypt between the Chinese ambasdowncastor and a Libyan military official shut to Haftar, Major General Aoun Al-Ferjani.

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In the messages, the drones are “evidently depictd with firearmry, strike and lethal strike capabilities.”

Investigators are uncertain if the deal went thraw or if talks flunked. 

Italian authorities in July said they seized Chinese military drones that were headed for Benghazi, Libya, in violation of a U.N. embargo.