Maltese arms dealer denies Libya boats linked to money laundering
Maltese arms dealer James Fenech has denied that two boats
chartered through one of his companies were in any way connected to money
laundering or military purposes.
On Friday, Fenech and four of his employees were charged in
court with breaching EU sanctions on Libya.
According to the prosecution, Fenech, 41, allegedly used two
military-grade Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) to circumvent international
sanctions and transport private contractors into war-torn Libya without
notifying the relevant authorities.
Fenech’s chartering company Sovereign Charters Limited
issued a statement on Monday outlining "the facts” and denying any
wrongdoing.
“The company said that in June 2019 it had been approached
by a very reputable and globally-known company operating in the UAE to charter
two of its vessels for 90 days.
The vessels were contracted on a purely ‘bare boat’ charter
basis, meaning no crew and the RIHBS were to be used only for evacuation
purposes, the company said.
"Crucially, the two vessels left Malta carrying all the
necessary permits both from Malta Customs as well as from the Police
Immigration unit,” the statement reads.
Upon arrival in Malta, all 21 of the client’s evacuated
management and personnel - mostly holding British, French, American, Australian
and South African passports - were admitted according to all applicable Maltese
laws and procedures, Sovereign contends.
"We flatly and categorically deny all the allegations
that this charter was in any way connected to money laundering or military purposes.
We shall look forward to clear our names and our company’s under oath in
court,” the company said.
Interest in Fenech’s chartering activities began when a
mysterious Malta-registered boat found in the harbour or Zwetina, Libya, some
150 kilometres south of Benghazi, last August had raised suspicion that it was
being used to sneak people in and out of the country, prompting the Libyan
authorities to launch an investigation.
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